• Welcome to the new COTI server. We've moved the Citizens to a new server. Please let us know in the COTI Website issue forum if you find any problems.

DnD Monsters vs T20 Travellers

R

RickA

SOC-12
In my T20 campaign (currently taking place on a post-apocalyptic world where the players are marooned) I've been pulling out the occasional DnD Monster Manual beast as a "mutant" creature to put against the PC's.

Be aware, if you chose to do this that the Challenge Ratings of the creatures are not very accurate for determining the challenge of the beast in the T20 rules. Mainly due to Armor Class (Armor Rating), Lifeblood, and the damage ratings of monsters.

For example, there was a CR9 creature I put against the part last week. Bite damage was 2d8+8. Now, in DnD vs. 9th level characters that's painful but not super deadly. In Lifeblood vs. PC armor factor? That +8 on the damage roll is DEADLY. Super super deadly.


Just an fyi from my recent experience.
 
Do you adjust the hit points of the DnD monster to reflect the T20 lifeblood system?

In any case there is nothing wrong with a REALLY dangerous monster. A good PC mauling keeps them on their toes.
I might suggest a look at my Tentacle Monster if you need more mutants. :D
 
Sent an Imperial Marine (stats from The Traveller Handbook) after a Dragon once. That was interesting. FCMP vs. DragonFire. The dragon still bit it, but it took a few shots. I think I've learned enough about the d20 system to try it again and see what happens.

Dameon
 
I always thought an ABOLETH (that psionic-fish thingy) would make a cool alien spoecies....

and shield guardians are ancient artifacs...
 
Did it with a bunch of dinosaurs using 2320AD rules.

Dinos were badass, but I only allowed their natural AC as AR ... very messy floor when the goodguys were done. The dinos didn't have a chance.

Having said that, the characters were special forces types ... not your average merchant crew, AND I am letting them play moreaus, so the Polar Bear moreau actually could take them on in hand-to-hand reasonably easily.

Using creatures with magic/psychic powers would be weirder. But fundamentally, deciding their AR is the biggest single deciding factor with conversions - a good AR is essential to prevent burst/auto fire wasting the badguys.
 
The easy and common idea of a scifi reason for zombies... 28 Days Later style 'rage' drug for example, unintentional outbreak, chaos ensues. Civilisation predictably falls. Zombie films are always weird like that. (so much so that I cannot take them seriously)
 
I used natural AC as AR, yes, and adjusted hit points to stamina and Con score to Lifeblood.

It's the damage bonuses they get that really hurt. When it's 3d6 that's one thing, when it's 2d6+8 that is something else, heh.

Just be careful using CR ratings on the monsters to judge whether your group can take them. My group of 7 12th level T20 characters were going to be in serious trouble in an encounter with two CR9 beasts. All could have easily died if I didn't immediately nerf the creatures damage bonus.
 
traveller elfs - already exist. They are called Darrians.

belter dwarfs - those would be a human minor race living and working in a planetoid belt, the Geonee may fit the bill.

rogue/academics - see the Sky Raiders Trilogy.

paladin/scouts - nope, you've got me on that one ;)
 
Originally posted by stofsk:
The easy and common idea of a scifi reason for zombies... 28 Days Later style 'rage' drug for example, unintentional outbreak, chaos ensues. Civilisation predictably falls. Zombie films are always weird like that. (so much so that I cannot take them seriously)
Click to expand...
Firefly/Serenty style Reavers, for example? Pefect space opera traveller-esque example, and very well implemented, I think.
 
I may be wrong but while you adjusted the creatures' hp to lifeblood, etc., it seems you didn't adjust their damage in the same manner and probably their bab as well. That +8 was for what, strength? Too bad that dex is used in D20. It needs to be a challenge but not a wipeout without DM intervention.
 
Originally posted by Lochlaber:
I may be wrong but while you adjusted the creatures' hp to lifeblood, etc., it seems you didn't adjust their damage in the same manner and probably their bab as well. That +8 was for what, strength? Too bad that dex is used in D20. It needs to be a challenge but not a wipeout without DM intervention.
Click to expand...
True, that +8 might be from a strength bonus, but in T20 would not a large strong creature do a damage bonus in melee?

Frankly, the Dex bonus only to Melee combat in T20 never made a great deal of sense to me. Allow a choice for some weapons perhaps, like a rapier in which speed and agility would count for more than strength, but if you are strong (say, an 18 strength) and hit someone with an axe, it's going to do more damage than if you are weak (say, a 5 strength) and hit someone with the same axe, neh?
 
Originally posted by RickA:

Frankly, the Dex bonus only to Melee combat in T20 never made a great deal of sense to me. Allow a choice for some weapons perhaps ...
Click to expand...
I agree with you there RickA. I would like to add that strength as an attribute becomes too unimportant if close-combat bab gets dex-bonus and not str-bonus.

(also pushing spam down, move on)
 
If you really want to add complication you could have some melee weapons that use STR, some that use an average of STR and Dex, and some that use Dex.
 
STR Still has advantages; Damage bonus in T20 is a very deadly thing. Eats right through armor at a rate of 1pt/1pt. That's pretty nasty. Really high str, like 17 or 18, and add say... +3 to damage? Then add to that the d6 or whatever your weapon does, and most personal armors you will just power through and do some real damage.
 
Umm, not quite Archhealer. The damage bonus if any is at best added after the reduction of dice by AR. If a ref were cruel they would add any bonus to the highest die and that goes away against the first point of AR. The addition or subtraction of bonuses will make the die higher or lower and affect it's standing in the rule of deletion by AR imo. To be fair the best way might be to apply 1 bonus or negative to each die in order, cycling until all adds or minuses are used, before deleteing damage dice by rank for AR. At least that's how I read it. There may be a more definitive answer somewhere in the forums. Unfortunately the example on pg. 149 (1st ed) does not do a damage bonus or penalty situation. The only damage bonus that eats through AR in the fashion you describe is that from AP rounds as per pg. 154 (1st ed). Both page references subject to errata of course (I seem to recall some change to AP rounds rules).
 
As I read it, the T20 AP rules only apply damage vs. the AR, and do no actual damage, they just help punch through.

After you reduce the die down to a single die of damage (The lowest), assuming the AR is high enough to do so, you then reduce the remaining damage at a rate of 1/1, correct? So, for example, the alienbeastyclaw does 2d6 damage, with a +4 damage bonus (From STR most likely)

Ok, so it's target has an AR of 5. Damage is rolled, and comes up a 5, and a 3. The AR nicks the 5, leaving 4 AR and a die roll of 3, with a +4 bonus. That's a total of 7 damage, reduced by 4, for three.

I suppose an arguement could be made for adding the bonus split up between dice, or adding it to the highest, or some such, but then... the little advantage to a high STR that already exists is gone, and it makes it harder to have really nasty monsters.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Nuke 'em
Replies
9
Views
3K
Carlobrand
C
G
Treasure Tables for Classic Traveller
Replies
4
Views
2K
gloriousbattle
G
P
Modified Critical Hit System
2
Replies
32
Views
3K
princelian
P
A
New to GMing T20: Dupser damages hard to deal with?
Replies
15
Views
1K
aramis
aramis
S
Hit me, Baby. Hit me.
Replies
11
Views
1K
Supplement Four
S
Back
Top