[center][h1]There Are No Heroes[/h1][h3]d20 Modern - 3.5e Dungeons and Dragons[/h3][hr][h3]Concept[/h3][/center]The pitch and concept is simple, your character is yourself in an alternate version of reality. Not just any reality, but one where the world is not quite as you know it here, a [i]grim-dark[/i], twisted reflection of itself. It is not pleasant, it is not kind, and it is most certainly not safe. Why, you might ask? Because if the greatest economic recession in history and rampant, unchecked crime and corruption were not enough, there are more disturbed, more frightening things in the darkness; the things people either will not or cannot regularly see or experience. Man is a monster already, the sort of creature that will kill you for the few dollars you have in your wallet, but what is worse is that not everything is [i]just[/i] a man. There [i]are[/i] monsters here and they are unquestionably more dangerous, more devious, and more destructive than any world rife with poverty and illness alone... at least individually. You have to do battle with them both.

How you ended up in this situation is up to you, but one way or another our timelines diverged. Yet fate now seems intent on bringing you and a few other seemingly random individuals together in an opportunity to do something about the bleakness of the future, however small and insignificant it might be. You are not heroes, the things you are going to be tasked with doing at times not heroic, but if you do not do them, who will? Perhaps you might just succeed or perhaps you all might just die trying. Either way, whatever you pursue or however you pursue it is up to you and your company. All I need know is, would you take that gamble? Are you willing to test yourself, even if that means you might actually lose?[hr][center][h3]Information[/h3][/center]Yes, you are playing yourself, you read that correctly. All we are going to do is file off the details of who you [i]really[/i] are. You will recreate yourself using the d20 System rules, namely those found in a hybrid Third Edition and d20 Modern game. How, you might ask? You will pitch what you can for your character, the other you, based on your background and other associated information. Why you have the ability scores, the skills, the classes, and feats you do. This character for all intents and purposes is yourself, other than details such as personally identifiable information, of which are removed; name, birth date, residence, et cetera. All of those are irrelevant, but for the better I assure you. But... what about magic and exceptional classes beyond the default ones in d20 Modern?

There best be an exceptional reason you can call yourself a "ranger" or think you have the background to be so much as a "fighter". As it is, you are playing a gestalt character one way or another, but consider anything from Third Edition to be as elite as it gets. Unless you are an actual black belt in any of the martial arts, or its equivalent, do not bother with "monk"; unless you have spent your life dabbling in the occult and strange, you are certainly not a "warlock" or a "wizard". So on and so forth, but the good news is, is that you start at 2nd character level and take the best of both d20 Modern classes. If you so happen to die, let us note fate is not so forgiving; death is permanent and a new character is just a regular person.

I digress, for one reason or another you will begin in the northwestern tier of the United States, either the states of Washington or Oregon, to be determined at a later date. You and your companions-to-be are brought together under unusual circumstances. You certainly do not have ties to one another or your past, but your options are clear; either work together for the best or work apart and hope for the best. After all, this game includes everything from supplementary sanity rules to massive damage rules and is played with a tactical mindset. It is dangerous and it is gritty, so if you cannot handle either, I recommend staying far, far away. Speaking of...

If you cannot commit, fully, to a complex edition as this game and its rules, in addition to its supplementary ones, let alone being consistent in activity and posting, do not bother. We do not want players who cannot learn, will not learn, will not post, or will not be proactive. No ifs, ands, or buts. We need four absolutely dedicated players. If you are inexperienced or have a "busy" lifestyle that does not allowed reliable posting and game execution, you are not the audience being sought out, do not waste my time or that of other players.[hr][center][h3]Rules[/h3][/center]The first rule is that what the Dungeon Master says, goes. I have been a Dungeon Master for years in this edition and I have run this setting two other times at actual tables; I know what to expect and I have largely refined it down to a science. Exceptions will arise of course, but at the end of the day I retain executive power. If you are not certain what I mean by something, [i]ask[/i], never assume.

The second rule is, is that there is not mercy here. If the dice land where they land, that is what happens. If you become inactive, [i]you are gone[/i], no more of this nonsense about being "busy" or "things came up". You either tell us all and best get working on a solution, fast, or you are out and are likely not coming back. Expect to post, at least, once every three days; the more the better. Consider the quality expected at minimum casual posting and at maximum anything advanced. At the bottom of your posts, you will have a section containing the mechanical effects of your actions, assuming you did anything that requires rules applications, be it rolling a Diplomacy check to persuade the police that you are not responsible for something, to running thirty feet, crouching, taking a shot, then dropping prone.

The third rule? This is a game in a world where everything is terrible, people are still using tape-based devices and flip phones, most cars are from the 1980s through the early 2000s, crime, poverty, addiction, and all equally twisted things are common. This is a [i]mature[/i] game but not an [i]adult[/i] game. I might imply certain things, but under no circumstances will we make the leap. Violence, limited gore, and other associated ilk are going to be present. Terrible things are going to happen here and a large component of the game [i]is[/i] a "What would you do?" scenario, that is the reason you are playing yourselves; please do not lie about that and be dishonest. This game is far, far more entertaining to learn about one's self and others around them when put in hypothetical and stressful, at times disturbed, scenarios. If that is not for you, then this game is not for you.[hr][center][h3]Requests[/h3][/center]If you have questions, comments, concerns, the like, post them here in this topic. I will be working on the actual post and eventually a Discord. The game itself will be played [i]predominantly[/i] on the Discord to better simulate a live experience, with each chapter being played out here on the forum at its closure; I will write an overview of the events as a narrator, then ask you to portray your character's recollection of them and opinion on it in their own posts. Much of it will be "mission" based, meaning each instance of events is a small chapter over a large arc, so do expect to write several in-character pieces for the chapters. Recall this might be as simple as a day in the life to something outrageous such as having narrowly avoided death against a cult that is attempting to learn actual dark magic.