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Ultramodern5 REDUX (5th Edition) |
$19.99 |
Average Rating:4.5 / 5 |
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Excellent way to redefine and fit the 5e rule set to fit the play style of the setting, works very good in modern and a touch of cyber punk ish...
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I really wanted to love this book. The art is fantastic! The idea of being able to transfer 5e to more modern and sci-fi settings is very interesting, and something I want.
However, I'm not sure this book is the way.
The classes don't resemble anything like balance- in how I've played everyone is absurdly powerful. Moreover, its baffling how complicated they make some of these classes to play. The simplistic ideology of 5e is lost, and the mechanics in this game are needlessly complex.
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Creator Reply: |
I'm sorry you have had this mixed experience with Ultramodern5. We are very proud of the title and make a point of taking all feedback seriously. While we know that it is easy to min-max virtually any class in any book, we never considered our classes to be overpowered, and if you reach out, I would love to hear your feedback in hopes of making the project better.
Additionally, we should in the future explain to readers that Ultramodern5 is a more complex system as it seeks to cover a lot of genres. So, I apologize for not communicating that better.
I also believe 5E is a fantastic sandbox to create new mechanics, even those more complex than those found in official D&D publications. We take similar approaches with NeuroSpasta, Apex, and Affinity, each breaking from the assumed philosophy of 5E and offering something wholly new, which can sometimes intimidate readers expecting books that try to paint within the lines outlined by D&D.
But once again, please get in touch with me (DTRPG won't let me post emails in these things) through our website or social media channels with your feedback. Thank you very much for your honest review.
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I have played shadowrun for close to two decades. I really enjoyed the system, the games i played with friends, but most of all, the setting. Blending High fantasy aspects with cyberpunk, a dash of that more CoC style magic by way of limitations and lore. all of these things made for a very enjoyable environment.
I do not consider 5e DnD to be the end-all of RPGs. while it has its flaws, however, it streamlines and simplifies a lot of elements that a lot of games stuck in the past often prefer to keep complex in favour of an "Ivory Tower" attitude to tabletop gaming.
I have been recommended UM5 multiple times when asking for systems that improve on shadowrun (my beloved) mechanically. I decided to take the plunge and I adore every last bit of it.
my key favourite elements in a simple list:
- the new rules are rock solid and are balanced perfectly. Things that should outclass a stock 5e block do so, and the Author isn't afraid to shy away from this. the players feel rewarded when they're using modern gear instead of still pretending to be conan the barbarian in the middle of Night City. as of writing, the rules are still being actively tested and updated.
- the content and equipment for the book is numerous and ranges all the way from the advent of firearms up to fleet ships and lasers. the name ultra- "Modern" is more of a preference towards the book's primary focus thematically, but is by no means an explicit limitation on content. I'd reccomend this for anything from cowboys to captain harlock impersonators.
- the ladder system is an objectively better progression system for the types of settings that UM5 focuses on. characters in these settings shouldn't feel typecast and pigeonholed, and ladders are distinct and identifiable, while remaining flexible enough to write a variety of characters around.
- the race/class options, lifepath system, level adjustment for statblocks, tech level categorizations and more make this book distinct, and allow players to take these aspects and cleanly insert them into their setting without too much backend tinkering, should they prefer not to use the entire ruleset in their game.
- the technolich on the front cover is so goddamn cool.
- The system doesn't obfuscate the rules, and it being an overhaul to 5e makes it versatile and easy for a majority of playgroups to adapt into, rather than learning a different system.
- as mentioned, aspects of the game (such as ladders) resemble a streamlining of systems from other popular TTRPGS, taking the good and trimming the fat so the group can focus on gameplay.
- a major "criticism" would have to be the Ultra/Ultramax section of the book. It contains a lot of really good content that actually makes games more engaging, challenging, and gritty, however the rules themselves often dip their toes into "making an entirely new TTRPG" rather than a 5e overhaul. i say "criticism" in quotes because I quite prefer this, however it can be daunting to groups that are picking this book up for the first time, especially if they don't have much experience with 5e or using overhaul splats. I recommend playing the system without Ultramax initially, and then integrating it if you feel confident enough as a group to do so.
- my other main criticism, and this is a HEAVILY personal choice, is that I do not care too much for the settings included with the books. To me, they feel a bit too thematic and specific, the same way a GM might steer away from something like Dark Sun. They are well fleshed out enough to construct campaigns from, however I din't buy this book for this purpose, and the content in this book isn't reliant on these settings' lore. to clarify: these settings are not bad, they're good quality, and they have been separated enough that they don't interfere with the crunch content, as it should be.
all up, the book is a 5*. i recommend it as the new standard for anyone trying to run a cyberpunk game, as I no longer play shadowrun, I play UM5e
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I've got one complaint:
how is it possible that a system which is so good and with such critics, has yet to provide a sheet on roll20 or a module on foundry?
These are the two most used platform out there. It is a bit of a let down to not enabling people to engage online.
Also, the maps included are beautiful yet no version without area letters or number.
It really feels as the online side of it has not been considered.
if this looks like a runt, then please consider this: there are people who find impossible to play in person, I happen to be one individual who would not be able to enjoy RPGs if not via online means, which makes me regreat the purches. Shame since the material is beatuful and it looks like a ton of fun.
I hope you will consider my request. If I missed somthing I apologise for it, in the mean time thank you for this amazing product and keep it up.
reply to Editor:
thank you your reply.
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Creator Reply: |
I was informed that we are on Foundry. I know we are on Fantasy Grounds. As for Roll20. Boy, I would love it if Roll20 would return my emails. I reached out to them a half-dozen times over the course of a year. I'm going to give it another go. Maybe if enough people pester Roll20...
Thanks for the review. Let's see if I can make your request a reality. |
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A diamond in the rough... the very, VERY rough.
Ultramodern5 is a great supplement to bring your game into futuristic settings. All the new options from classes to gear have clearly had a lot of thought put into them, but the book is plagued by some issues, most of which could have been avoided with more thorough editing.
This is a fairly off the cuff, late night review which I needed to get off my chest. I've not taken the time to check for spelling, grammar or syntax mistakes.
Character Customization
The way the new classes in this book are built, they are highly customizable not only within the boundaries of their own class features but also with the choice of Archetype ("subclasses" that can be chosen for any class in the book rather than just a specific class) and Ladder (a system that adds additional progression to the character to supplement the missing magic items and allows you to choose additional features in place of ability score improvements/feats, based on the ladder you chose on level 1) allowing you to further refine your character flavor. You can then also add spellcasting to any character, independent of their class (although there is also a class dedicated to magic use) simply by investing in a seventh ability score called Vigor which governs the unique magic system of Ultramodern 5.
Between all these systems Ultramodern classes feel more powerful than the traditional core classes and probably shouldn't be mixed into a party using those, but when self-contained offer a great variety of options that enables plenty of interesting character concepts.
Backgrounds
The typical Backgrounds are replaced with a more basic background choice (which offers no background feature, less equipment and fewer proficiencies) and then further refined by a Lifepath: a system that lets you generate important parts of your character's backstory. While much of the lifepath can be chosen freely, the most formative events have to be rolled for. This is because each event has the potential to have impact on your character's starting equipment or statistics. For example your character may have acquired an injury that imposes certain penalties, or had a stroke of luck (or Windfall) that scored them an NPC who has a debt to the character and may be called on for favors. The effects of each of these events can be of varying impact, making some tragedies worse than others and some windfalls better than others, which makes it very difficult to just supercede the rules and let players make their own choices here without enabling some unwanted powergaming.
Which is incidentally also my biggest gripe with this system. I like to have creative control of my character's backstory and not have my idea of a highly acrobatic Gunslinger character end up with two mangled legs. Rolling for your backstory can be fun, and is especially useful if you are going into character creation without a concrete idea in mind, but when it becomes mandatory, it potentially ruins certain character concepts.
Skills
I only want to touch briefly on skills. As the book introduces only a few. The new skills are Computer Use, Demolitions, Engineering and Sciences, all governed by Intelligence. What strikes me about these skills is primarily that 3 out of 4 or these would normally fall more into Tool Proficiencies as they all involve using specific tools (computers, explosives and disarming tools, and electronic or mechanical engineering tools respectively).
Magic
As mentioned before, the magic system presented in Ultramodern5, named DARK, allows any character regardless of class, archetype or ladder to gain spellcasting. All you need is to have a positive ability modifier in the dedicated seventh ability score: Vigor. This stat not only enables your magic in the first place but also acts as your Spellcasting ability for spell DCs, spell attack bonuses and other related mechanics. Dark eschews the typical spell slot system of core classes in favor of expending a simple resource called Vessel, which you spend to cast spells and can regain even during combat. In turn Dark's spells are not nearly as world-endingly spectacular as the higher end of traditional spellcasting. You learn spells by purchasing them using a currency called Asset. Both Asset and Vessel are based on your character level and Vigor score. The dark system has its own spell list divided into 18 paths each following a general theme (such as Creation, Flame, Illusion, or Might), each with a varying number of spells of different Tiers to choose from (usually around 9 or 10 spells per path), you have to spend additional Asset if you want access to multiple Paths but each path has synergies which grant you free extra spells if you have the synergizing path as well.
Dark also introduces further character options, a Ladder, Archetype, and Class as well as a number of Background options and feats dedicated to being a Dark caster and expanding your spellcasting ability. It also includes additional new Vigor based skills, which allow you to perform supernatural tasks (such as sensing the presence of Dark or telepathically communicating with another creature). One of these skills is Induce, which you can use to empower your magic at the cost of taking damage. This is a rather substantial deviation from how skills are normally used in 5e. As even the few that have some combat use (like Athletics and Acrobatics) still are primarily meant for non-combat activities. Induce only empowers your spells and does nothing else.
When generating your ability scores whether you're rolling or using point buy, having this seventh ability score has some additional implications. If you choose to forego magic for your character you can safely dump Vigor altogether, leaving more points (or more high roll results on average) to invest in your other ability scores, making your core stat array quite a bit stronger than that of a traditional fantasy character, or even your fellow Ultramodern characters who opted to be casters.
Gear
An extensive list of low to high tech weapons and armor from the 18th century all the way to effing magic levels of advancement can be found in the gear section. The new equipment comes with Tech levels from 0 to 5, denoting how technologically advanced the item is and therefor which settings it may be appropriate for. Higher tech level items have a higher list price, which you adjust down, if that item is appropriate for your setting's tech level, while still allowing those higher level items as rarities. You will notice that none of the weapons are especially powerful when compared to your good old longbow or greatsword. The combat gear in Ultramodern opts not to scale up the damage values based on how advanced a weapon is. It instead creates a different frame of reference that assumes that if your character has a longsword, that longsword is made of highly advanced materials manufacturing methods that puts it on par with modern powered weapons, thereby keeping the average damage output of any weapon the same and not having to rebalance all of the hit points around stronger weapons.
A significant new mechanic is that some weapons have features that can only be used by characters of a certain character level or higher. Usually starting at level 6 a character can make use of different bonuses depending on the weapon's underlying technology type (for example with a plasma weapon they may be able to ignore damage resistance) and some types offer further bonuses at higher levels.
You also get access to a wide variety of cybernetics which can grant substantial changes to your statistics.
The gear section suffers mostly in its presentation. Gear is listed by weapon/armor category and in alphabetical order. The lists would have been far and away more convenient to navigate if items were sorted by Tech level before alphabetic order, so as to have a clear overview of which weapons you can readily purchase given the setting you are playing in. Further compounding the issue with this choice is that while firearms at least have their Tech level listed in a dedicated column in their weapon tables, melee weapons have theirs Tech levels squirreled away in their weapon properties column making them even harder to filter.
Vehicles and Mecha
I'll admit at this point that I haven't given this part of the book a close enough look yet, so I'll keep this part brief. There is a broad selection of combat and civilian vehicles to choose from and Mechas offer plenty of customization options, which is not to say that there aren't modifications for other vehicles ad well. What's unfortunately missing entirely, are water vehicles and space ships.
But wait! There are Space Ships!
I lied in that last section. Actually there are rules for spacecraft. For some reason the authors opted to relegate these to one of the minisettings they present near the end of the book instead of including them along with all the other vehicles. You get a broad selection of different space ships, all with specific model names and modifications and ship armaments to go along with them. I just found it baffling that I had to delve into the Settings to find the rest of the Vehicles section.
Water vehicles are still missing though.
Ultramax
Think you're tough? Are 5e core rules too easy for you to remember? Do your player characters not die enough? Try Ultramax now!
Ultramax takes a large hammer to the 5th edition core rules and bashes them into shape for a grittier and more realistic take. Characters have fewer hit points, weapons deal more damage. Armor reduces damage rather than affecting your AC, and AC itself is higher by default and affected by a ton of circumstantial modifiers. It's an entirely optional system you can use sharpen the edges of your game, at the expense of the core rules' relative simplicity. Ultramax substantially changes the statistics of all sorts of gear (weapons, vehicles, armors, cybernetics), and adds new features to certain classes to adjust to these changes. Unfortunately this requires you to consult a lot of tables to convert your gear (making picking it in the first place more difficult too) and to just play the game in general (there is a table consuming a thrid of a page just to list all the possible AC modifiers), but this is an unavoidable price to pay for a more granular and realistic ruleset.
So why is it so rough?
How am I going to put it without sounding like I'm trying to throw shade at the people who made this mostly outstanding supplement? Ultramodern5 suffers from very poor editing and wording. Frequently, abilities are worded extremely vaguely to the point of being subject to pure speculation. In other cases the text uses terminology that is completely nonsensical.
Below is a list of examples that stood out to me (and yes I am aware that I lead this review by stating I haven't exactly kept my own house in order here):
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The Gunslinger class's Converging Fire ability states that "when attacking a creature 5 feet or closer with one or two one-handed small arms, you gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and a +2 bonus to AC against that creature."
While with the attack rolls it is easy to intuit that the bonus applies probably only for those attacks, the AC bonus is completely left up in the air, as if it is permanent from then on. But if you do not forever have a +2 bonus to AC against that creature's attacks, when does the bonus end? At the end of your turn? At the end of their next turn? At the start of your next turn? When you attack something else? when you are no longer within 5 feet of that creature?
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The Heavy Class has a feature called Artillery Talent, which lets you learn special talents from a list. The headings for these Talents are weighted the same way as the Feature they should be nested under, making them look like independent features. A formatting mistake that barely impacts legibility but represents an extremely fundamental layout error that should have been caught in editing if not by the layouter themselves.
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Asset (the "currency" you use to learn spells): according to the text "At character generation, you gain an asset value equal to your Vigor modifier" and "each time you reach a new level, you gain a bonus to your asset score equal to your Vigor modifier". While this wording is fairly straight forward, reading it as written, this means that your Asset score is not recalculated if your Vigor modifier changes. Meaning if you want to invest in magic use, you should start your Vigor as high as you can and max it out as early as possible, because if you don't, your character will at higher levels have a lower asset score than another character with the same Vigor who has done it. (if you spend your first 7 levels with Vigor 16, then raised it to 18, and at 12th raised it to 20, you'd have an asset score of 42 while a character who started at 16, then raised it to 18 at level 4, and to 20 at level 8 would end up with 65 asset)
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The Magus class (the dedicated class for Dark spellcasting) has the Endowment feature which grants a bonus to your Vigor Regeneration. Vigor Regeneration is not a mechanic. Vessel Regeneration is.
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In the spell list, many spells grant you extra bonuses for "additional dark spent before casting". Dark is the name of the magic system, not a resource you can spend. I can only guess they mean Vessel.
- Equipment prices and starting wealth are demarked with a generic $ value. Currency is never adressed further. If you actually want to buy weapons from the 5e core book, Ultramodern does not offer any hint on how those numbers convert to copper/silver/gold/platinum pieces.
There are many more cases, but these standout examples shall suffice to illustrate the types of wording, terminology and clarity mistakes that can be found within. The book is over 400 pages, perhaps too much for a single editor to handle.
The book comes with an errata document. None of the examples I listed above are adressed in it however, which is especially baffling when a text is as meaningless as "additional dark spent" and that same mistake is repeated across several spells.
Antagonists
The adversaries section offers a solid variety of generic NPC statblocks. Including a minion system that allows you to convert many of them into more easily dispatched but still threatening in numbers fodder enemies. It also includes monsters, such as aliens and robots, however this part of the antagonists section is fairly short, and I wish there was an expanded Ultramodern Bestiary somewhere, perhaps with some more generic plug and play creatures that can be dropped into any sci-fi or sci-fantasy setting.
Don't Read this Part
The layout also commits several basic text-layout sins such as headlines on headlines, choices of fonts that make it difficult to differentiate between the letters A and R, H and K, or D and O, but these are things only graphic designers and typographers tend to mind.
If you want SciFi in your 5e
Definitely get this book!
After dedicating so much real estate to it's flaws, I feel I need to restate that it is still that proverbial diamond. This review is still a 4/5 rating, and it could have been a 5/5 if the mistakes were properly adressed.
Despite its rough edges, what is in this book is an excellent basis if you want to use the 5th edition rules for any predominantly sci fi setting.
Dias Ex Machina, if you're reading this
I'm a freelance graphic designer, illustrator and 5th edition rules developer. I've previously published independent work (such as the Critter Compendium, Raiders & Dinosaurs, and Spectrum of Magic) on DMsguild and have worked with Nord Games LLC on their Ultimate Bestiary and Ultimate NPCs series. I'd be happy to work with you in any of these capacities.
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Creator Reply: |
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Find me.
I'm serious. I can't put my email or contact information on my reply, I don't know anything about you. I'm easy enough to find on Facebook and on my website. Let's talk. |
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Purchased the download and a hardcopy book - I'm still a guy who likes to have a physical thing to turn the pages of.
Love the game and the versatilitiy it offers, still trying to absorb everything.
Maybe a niggle, but a big one... The physical book plus postage and handling was not cheap.
The bottom of the pages are all cropped and the page numbers are cut off.
As I'm moving back and forth between the table of contents, index, and other references...
Not having page numbers is really, really bloody annoying... :(
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This is a fun, considered, and vibrant system. Over and over I found awesome and hilarious things I wanted to throw into my 5e campaign.
It meshes easily with 5e, it's easy to take exactly what you need and there is a lot of value for money. Thanks so much for making this!
If you are considering purchasing this...you absolutely should.
My experience is with the PDF.
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Bought the orginal UM5 a few months back, a copy of Neurspasta and just recently my POD copy of Redux arrived... holy shit balls these titles are good. Chris at DEM crafts all his work with a such a high level of care, attention and skill - it's a wonder Wizards haven't snatched him up yet!
In very simple terms, these books cover exactly what you might need to run a campain in the modern, post modern or futuristic settings with plenty of ideas about how to make those settings a bit more fantastical/fantasy, should you wish. There are many areas that are worth highlighting but the new classes and ladder systems are worthy of a seperate mention. I'm very interestesed in the updated and finalised UltraMax rule set which is avaible in Redux.
I'm deep in planning my first modern campaing and can't wait to sink my teeth in. Just to say as well that Chris' customer support and after care is next level, a true gentleman who I have seen so active on the vairus forums online, he excepts criticism with such grace and I suspect we're going to see plenty more powerful titles come from him and his team. A very well done to you sir.
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This is a wonderful supplement that enables you to expand 5e into basically any world you can imagine! There is some serious creativity here, from the Martial Artist class that is literally everything that the Monk should have been to an entirely new magic system perfect for the player that finds the Vancian spell slot system too restrictive but the spell point variant overwhelming. It has technology tiers that range from the pre-industrial era to the far-flung future, and there are special rules and equipment that facilitate steampunk, grimdark, Lovecraftian horror, and really anything you can imagine!
There are some really wonderful innovations here, like how any Archetype can be taken by any Class to help create any kind of character you want, and how the Ladder system basically gives a bunch of feat options tailored to the type of character you want to make. Also, they added a way to make each Human character feel much more unique and interesting!
However, there's some slight wonkiness and unclear wording in certain mechanics, and some of the player options feel over-designed and just a bit too complex for their own good. Also, be aware that you can't really mix and match the player options in this book with those from the PHB or other official 5e supplements. The Origins, Ladders, Classes, and Archetypes are significantly more complex and powerful than the races abd classes of 5e, so make sure that, if you're using this book, that all of your players are exclusively using this book. This book is made to be used on top of the 5e ruleset, not alongside its playable material.
Overall, it's an extremely ambitious and quite impressive book with just a few flaws that slightly hold it back. All that said, I highly recommend this to anyone who doesn't want to leave the comforting embrace of 5e but who wants to explore settings beyond traditional medieval fantasy!
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Great book. Got it because a friend was running a post-apocalyptic setting with the previous version, so when I saw the update published I threw my money at it immediately. Some great improvements on the previous book, and I've still barely touched the entirely new sections, so money well spent. Also, the author has made two large updates since release correcting small errors and imbalances, as well as making available a fillable pdf character sheet, so it's lovely to see such care and attention paid. Thanks for all the hard work.
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Really cool, Dnd5e but for a sci-fi setting. The stuff in that book are generic enough to use it for space op, hard sci fi, etc which is awesome ! There is also a cool random weapon generator called "Loot & Shoot", really cool stuff. It can emulate a "Borderland" style of gameplay. ^^
One last thing: there is no hacker class and no rules for hacking in that book, just sayin'... Not that it is a major issue, get your own hacking rules set, there are plenty of them in other source book for the d20 system. But if you aim to use that system for a cyberpunk session, this will work really fine but you'll have to find rules for hacking somewhere else.
You love Dnd5e, you want some sci-fi rpg in your life ? Buy that book.
Edit: For the hacking rules, you might want to check Neuro-spasta from the same publisher. ^^
==> https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/204048/NeuroSpasta-5E
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Between the fact that the creator keeps actively updating it and the beautiful artwork, you are looking at one of the best 5e supplements out there. Truly amazing mechanics make this a joy to play.
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There's a ton of options in this book. If you are looking to recreate some of the classic RPG settings with 5E rules, this book is essential for your DM toolkit.
Settings I can see being able to create with the tools here:
- Shadowrun
- Cyberpunk
- TMNT (The Animyst race is ready made for this setting, and the Martial Artist class and Ladders are so versatile you can go anywhere you want with it)
- Alien (or any Space Marine game, ie Starcraft, Halo, etc)
- Star Frontiers
- Steampunk (or any retropunk game, really)
- Robotech (and similar)
- Cthulhupunk (and similar)
- X-Com
The list could go on.
Some things to keep in mind: It's a labor of love, so you'll see some typos and such. Some rules could be a little more clearly presented. You'll also need to tweak the rules to fit your table, but the book assumes this and speaks to it.
There are a lot of rules, but think of this as an opportunity to try new things in new ways. I feel like there's a good chance this book has some rules that will inspire you, or provide a mechanic you may like as is. If you like homebrewing, this book has ton of inspiration to offer. Also, as a homebrewer, you'll probably be wanting to make your own player doc anyway, so just adjust the things you want to fiddle with while making your new document.
If you and your table like to try new rules out, the book also includes settings ready to roll to try out every kitchen sink in this book. Throw together a demo game, and try it all out! If your group feels like D&D5 is too rules lite, check out some of the options here. There are so many mini-powers you can collect during your character build your character can come out feeling much closer to a Pathfinder style character. If classic D&D5 doesn't feel tactical enough as a rulebase, this book is worth checking out for the tactical aspects alone. If you want a grittier feel, the UltraMax rules are there for you too.
Also, and this can't be said enough, the art in this book is utterly fantastic. For me, each picture inspires numerous game worlds and suggests setting tones and feels that I would love to try to convey to players. This looks very professional and well done.
I'm working on a Space Marine style setting myself, having run a couple games with the prior UM5 ruleset. This book is an upgrade across the board. Kudos to DEM here!
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This book gives you EVERYTHING you need for tech options in 5th edition. Want space ships? got it.. firearms.. yup.. mutant alien wizards? Covered...
GET THIS BOOK
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Love everything about this book. There's so much content and detail. Had no issues downloading the file and I can't wait until my GM brings this to the table.
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