In game terms, ballistic damage is the type of damage that firearms inflict, and is a subset of piercing damage. By that same token, armor might afford bonuses to Charisma (Intimidation) checks.Īs you can see from the table, many of the heavier armors grant damage reduction (DR) or resistance to several damage types, including a new damage type: ballistic damage. More obvious armor-whether riot armor, flak jackets, or Land Warrior milspec armor-will likely have an affect on characters’ social ability checks and their ability to move freely in your campaign. Because it can be assumed that most characters operate undercover, incognito, or simply in an unobtrusive manner for at least part of the time, I made sure that those options included concealable armor. Using the old d20 Modern Core Rulebook as a guide, and tweaking the math for fifth edition, I created armor options for my “5e Modern” campaign. Modern settings are a different animal in this regard.
There are no social penalties when characters are observed in full armor while going about their business. In a typical fantasy setting, adventurers, guards, and other possible combatants are fully expected to wear armor. However, this left me in a quandary regarding character defenses.
The Dungeon Master’s Guide provides optional rules for firearms in D&D-including modern and even futuristic weapons. When the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide was released last December, I knew without a doubt that my first homebrew setting using the new rules would be an updated take on Urban Arcana, adapting firearms and modern armor for use in an urban fantasy game. By that point, other games had clamored for my attention, but I never forgot how interested I was in the marriage of D&D to urban fantasy. I ran my Urban Arcana campaign for six years. Only a small number of humans and friendly Shadowkind races can even perceive-much less combat-the threats that such an incursion brings. The vast majority of humankind remains largely ignorant of this development, thanks to our awesome capacity for denial. D&D monsters and magic (called “Shadow” within the setting) are finding their way into our world. The scenario was a familiar one, seemingly plucked from my own daydreams. I was crazy about the Urban Arcana campaign setting in particular. Gnolls in crushed velvet! Ogres decked out in London Fog overcoats! Living dumpsters that ate people! When Wizards of the Coast released the d20 Modern roleplaying game in 2002, I was in heaven. With the Dungeon Master’s Guide and some tweaking, I’ve begun to use the fifth edition rules to explore the possibilities of gunplay in a modern fantasy setting.
I’m a longtime D&D player, but I’m also a sucker for urban fantasy.