TEXT: The Modern Dispatch
  Talkin’�‘bout�my�Reputation?�
  Page 1
  Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying 
  Game, published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
  d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are 
  trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the 
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  with permission
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  trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are 
  used according to the terms of the d20 System 
  License version 6.0.  A copy of this License can 
  be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
  Content Manager: 
  Charles Rice and Chris Davis
  Layout: 
  Chris Davis
  Proofreading: 
  Donald Kiesling, Chris Davis
  www.RPGObjects.com
  #9
  Talkin’ ‘bout my 
  Reputation? 
  by Charles Rice
  Reputation is one of two new level-related statistics 
  introduced in d20 Modern (the other being Defense). 
  To players and mechanics gearheads alike, this is 
  something of a big deal. I mean, something that is 
  always there in the background and changes as you go 
  up, added to the exalted list of base attack bonus and 
  saving throws? Whew. Too much pressure. 
  However Reputation isn’t nearly as important as 
  those other abilities. Why is that? Well it might have 
  been because they didn’t want to alter the ﬂow of play 
  too much. Or it might have been because they thought 
  that people wouldn’t respond to something that was 
  too radically different than the d20 they know and 
  love. Or maybe it was because they ﬁgured it wasn’t 
  broke so there was no need to ﬁx it. 
  Regardless of the reasoning (and all of the above 
  could have factored into the decision) Reputation has 
  an extremely subtle effect on game play. So subtle in 
  fact that it is avoided by many players and GMs. This 
  article expands on the Reputation rules to make them 
  important, a way to enhance your game and make 
  your character’s life easier (or a living nightmare).
  Allies
  This rule variant links Reputation with Allegiances. 
  Allegiances typically allow you to make a friend and 
  gain a reaction-bonus when dealing with that friend 
  (in other words with others who share the same 
  allegiance). However no rules are given as to exactly 
  how powerful those friends can be, and what they can 
  be expected to do for you other than take your calls 
  (sometimes not even that). 
  Note: The following system was inspired by the 
  contact rules in the excellent Unearthed Arcana. 
  This rules variant is my attempt to bring this system 
  fully in line with d20 Modern mechanics. The 
  main differences are that allies are always tied to 
  allegiances and that the power of the contact is based 
  on your Reputation rather than your character level.
  This system allows you to pick allies within larger 
  organizations. Your ally’s abilities will be linked 
  to your Reputation. In other words the higher your 
  Reputation, the more inﬂuential your allies. Allies are 
  broken down into the following categories: supply, 
  inﬂuence, knowledge and skill. 
  What each type of ally can provide is detailed 
  below.
  Gaining Allies
  Gaining an ally is a function of Reputation. When a 
  character gains a level he may attempt to establish 
  an ally within one of his Allegiances by making 
  a Reputation check (DC 20). In other words, 
  d20+Reputation, if the combined total is 20 or higher 
  the character has established the ally. 
  A character can have a maximum number of allies 
  equal to one-half his Reputation modiﬁer. 
  Losing Allies
  Allies are dependant upon allegiances. If a character 
  renounces an allegiance (or has it revoked by the 
  game master) he loses all allies tied to that allegiance. 
  Even if the character later regains the allegiance he 
  must reestablish his allies within that allegiance as if 
  they were totally new allegiances. 
  Supply
  Organizations frequently have full members that 
  they allow to requisition equipment in order to 
  further the aims of the organization. And all of those 
  organizations have people whose job it is to hand out 
  that equipment, make sure it all comes back in good 
  shape and maintain the storerooms of equipment not 
  
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  in use to ensure that the equipment is maintained and 
  does not “walk away”. 
  Supply allies are usually very low on an 
  organization’s “totem pole”, not being the ones who 
  bark out orders or go hunt down vampires. However 
  these quiet paper-pushers have a lot of power, in that 
  they usually are the ones who decide if you get what 
  you have requisitioned. Even if a higher-ranking 
  member of the organization orders them to give you 
  something, well, sometimes things just get lost. And 
  anyone who has ever tried to ﬁnd something hidden a 
  stockroom knows that isn’t the way to go. 
  Supply contacts grant a bonus to Requisition skill 
  checks equal to your Reputation modiﬁer from the 
  agency in question.
  Inﬂuence
   Inﬂuence allies might not have skills or information 
  or the keys to the stockroom but they do have 
  valuable commodities that can aid the most powerful 
  character: friends. Charismatic heroes begin play with 
  an inﬂuence ally already established so long as they 
  take an appropriate allegiance for the ally to belong 
  to (possibilities would be celebrities or members of a 
  political action committee or lobbying group). 
  When a character uses an inﬂuence ally to make 
  an introduction the initial attitude of the person he’s 
  introduced to is improved one step (if the party was 
  inclined to be Neutral to the character before the 
  introduction he will be friendly now and so forth).
  Knowledge
  Knowledge allies are specialists in various Knowledge 
  or Intelligence-based skills. Smart heroes may begin 
  play with one Knowledge ally already established, 
  so long as they take an appropriate allegiance for the 
  ally to belong to (possibilities would be academic 
  institutions or government think tanks).
  When a character calls on a knowledge ally he 
  gains a bonus to one Knowledge skill check equal to 
  his Reputation or a bonus to one Intelligence-based 
  skill equal to one-half his Reputation (the ally will not 
  show up to perform the skill for the character in the 
  middle of an adventure but will offer helpful advice to 
  give the character a bonus to his own skill check). 
  Skill
  Skill allies are specialists in skills based on abilities 
  other than Intelligence or Charisma. Strong, Fast, 
  Tough and Dedicated heroes may begin play with one 
  Skill ally already established so long as they take an 
  appropriate allegiance for the ally to belong to. This 
  ally’s chosen skill must be one of the class skills for 
  the character in question and represents a former 
  teacher or master of that skill. 
  When a character calls on a skill ally he 
  gains a bonus to the ally’s skill specialty 
  equal to one-half his Reputation bonus (the 
  ally will not show up to perform the skill 
  for the character in the middle of an 
  adventure but will offer helpful advice 
  to give the character a bonus to his 
  own skill check). 
  Calling On Allies
  No matter how many allies a 
  character has there is a limit to how 
  many times he can use his allies 
  during an adventure. A character 
  may automatically call on one ally per 
  allegiance during the course of a single 
  week of game time. A second call to an 
  ally of the same allegiance requires a 
  Reputation check (DC 20). The DC 
  of this check increases by 5 for each 
  additional time during that week the 
  character attempts to call on allies 
  from that allegiance. 
  If a character needs a rationale 
  for this limit inform him that his 
  
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  allegiances like him, they don’t work for him. 
  Whether or not the character needs to make a check 
  to get in touch with his contact, it will take the contact 
  1-4 hours to get in touch with the character and/or 
  provide the needed assistance. 
  New Feats
  Black Market
  You are able to acquire illegal or restricted items more 
  easily through your allies.
  Prerequisite: At least one Supply ally, Reputation 
  6+
  Effect: When purchasing a restricted or illegal 
  item you may call on a supply ally to grant you a 
  limited access to an item of that type. This allows you 
  to ignore the Wealth increase due to the item being 
  restricted or illegal.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Fixer
  If the most powerful person is the one with the most 
  friends then you are a powerful person indeed.
  Prerequisite: Speed Dial, Well-Connected, 
  Reputation 9+
  Effect: You may have a number of allies equal to 
  your Reputation score. 
  Normal: Characters may normally possess a 
  number of allies equal to one-half their Reputation 
  scores.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Midas Touch
  Your Reputation for skillful business dealings makes 
  others much more willing to support your ventures.
  Prerequisite: At least one Inﬂuence ally, Wealth 6+, 
  Reputation 6+
  Effect: You may call on an inﬂuence ally to grant 
  a bonus to a Wealth check equal to one-half your 
  Reputation. While this could allow you access to 
  much more expensive items than you could normally 
  afford your Wealth is still reduced by the usual 
  amount, representing loans needed to purchase the 
  items in question. However characters with this feat 
  are much better able to live “above their means” than 
  other characters.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Miracle Worker
  Your reputation for being a ﬂawless doctor actually 
  causes you to be a better doctor since your patients’ 
  faith in you enhances their bodies’ ability to heal.
  Prerequisite: Treat Injury 6 ranks, Reputation 6+
  Effect: You gain a bonus on all Treat Injury skill 
  checks equal to your Reputation.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Dedicated 
  heroes.
  Rumor Monger
  Your friends have keen ears and tend to pass along 
  useful bits of information they come across to you. 
  Prerequisite: At least one Inﬂuence ally, Reputation 
  6+
  Effect: You may call on your Inﬂuence ally for 
  information rather than making an introduction. This 
  grants you a bonus to a single Gather Information 
  or Knowledge (current events) check equal to your 
  Reputation. Use of an ally for rumors still counts as 
  contacting that allegiance for help and the character 
  must still pay the normal Wealth cost for making the 
  Gather Information skill check (his ally is simply 
  pointing him toward the information not providing it).
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Speed Dial
  People don’t just return your calls, they drop 
  everything to return your calls.
  Prerequisite: Well-Connected, Reputation 9+
  Effect: When you get in touch with an ally it only 
  takes 1-4 minutes for you to receive information or 
  assistance.
  Normal: Allies normally take 1-4 hours to provide 
  assistance.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes. 
  Tough Customer
  Your reputation makes others tread lightly around you.
  Prerequisite: Reputation 6+
  Effect: You gain a bonus on Intimidate checks equal 
  to your Reputation.
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Trusted Associate
  You are very highly regarded by a single Allegiance 
  and they are much more willing to help you then 
  normal.
  Prerequisite: The allegiance this feat is associated 
  with must be your ﬁrst Allegiance (allegiances 
  are listed in order from most to least important), 
  Reputation 6+
  Effect: Your gain a +4 bonus to your Reputation 
  when dealing with allies from the chosen allegiance. 
  You also gain a +4 bonus to all Requisition checks 
  from the chosen allegiance. 
   Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes.
  Well-Connected
  Your allegiances think very highly of you and are 
  willing to help you much more often.
  Prerequisite: At least two allies of any type, 
  Reputation 6+
  
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  Effect: You can call on allies of each allegiance 
  three times per week before needing to make 
  Reputation checks to gain their aid.
  Normal: Characters can normally only call on 
  an ally within an allegiance once per week before 
  Reputation checks are required. 
  Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic 
  heroes. 
  Mystery Man
  While some characters thrive on their Reputation, 
  on being known, the mystery man thrives on being 
  unknown. His weapons are rumor and superstition, his 
  cloak secrecy. The mystery man represents the classic 
  pulp superheroes such as The Shadow who were 
  normal men (for the most part) yet used their abilities 
  at stealth and disguise to terrify the common thugs 
  they faced, giving them a superhuman edge over their 
  much more numerous opponents.  This concept is so 
  powerful it has even made its way into the modern age 
  of comics with… well you know who… and him… 
  and that guy over there too. 
  Requirements
  To qualify to become a Mystery Man a character must 
  meet the following criteria (the quickest path into this 
  class is through the Tough Hero basic class).
  Base Attack Bonus: +2
  Skills: Intimidate 6 ranks, Knowledge (streetwise) 
  6 ranks
  Feats: Low Proﬁle, Secret Identity (this feat ﬁrst 
  appeared in Issue #2 of the Dispatch)
  Hit Die: 1d8
  Action Points: 6+ one-half character level, rounded 
  down, every time the character gains a new level in 
  this class.
  Class Skills: The mystery man’s class skills (and 
  the ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Bluff 
  (Cha), Climb (Str), Disable Device (Int), Disguise 
  (Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex), 
  Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (behavioral 
  sciences, current events, popular culture, streetwise) 
  (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense 
  Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex)  
  Skill points at each level: 7+Int. modiﬁer
  Class Information
  The following information pertains to the mystery 
  man advanced class.
  Persona: The mystery man is even more adept at 
  adopting disguises to further his secret identity. Rather 
  than the +5 bonus to disguise detailed in the Secret 
  Identity feat the mystery man gains a +10 bonus for 
  adopting the speciﬁc disguise of his alternate identity 
  (this will usually be enough to allow even a medium-
  level mystery man to go unnoticed by loved ones and 
  close friends in his heroic identity).
  As the mystery man gains levels he becomes a 
  master of disguise and is able to adopt more personae 
  in order that he may inﬁltrate criminal organizations, 
  pick up rumors or even patrol the city invisibly (a 
  mystery man might adopt the persona of a simple 
  cabbie allowing him to prowl the streets completely 
  unnoticed until he is needed). 
  When in a persona other than his heroic identity, 
  the mystery man is quite adept at using the seemingly 
  unimposing nature of his alternate identities to ﬁnd 
  out information from others. When the mystery man 
  spends an action point to aid a Bluff, Diplomacy or 
  Gather Information skill check he adds all available 
  dice to the skill check not merely the highest die. 
  Each time the mystery man gains a new persona 
  he should inform the game master of that identity’s 
  appearance, occupation, habits and normal “stomping 
  grounds”. 
  Cloak of Secrecy: To use this ability the Reputation 
  of the mystery man’s alternate identity (the one 
  he adventures under) must be +0 (this is easily 
  accomplished by using the Secret Identity feat to 
  funnel Reputation gains into the mystery man’s public 
  identity).
  So long as the mystery man’s Reputation is +0 in 
  his secret identity he gains a bonus to all Hide and 
  Move Silently skill checks equal to his mystery man 
  class level. 
  Cloak of Fear: So long as the mystery man’s 
  Reputation is +0 in his secret identity he gains a bonus 
  to all Intimidate skill checks equal to his mystery man 
  class level. If the mystery man possesses the Frightful 
  Presence feat the DC to save against it is raised by 5 
  as if the character possessed the Renown feat. 
  Phantom: This ability allows the mystery man to 
  hide in plain sight, without needing to ﬁnd cover or 
  Table X-X: The Mystery Man
  Level
  Base Attack
  Bonus
  Fort
  Save
  Ref
  Save
  Will
  Save
  Special
  Defense 
  Bonus
  Reputation
  Bonus
  1st
  +0
  +1
  +1
  +0
  Persona
  +1
  +0
  2nd
  +1
  +2
  +2
  +0
  Cloak of Secrecy
  +1
  +0
  3rd
  +2
  +2
  +2
  +1
  Bonus Feat
  +2
  +0
  4th
  +3
  +2
  +2
  +1
  Cloak of Fear
  +2
  +0
  5th
  +3
  +3
  +3
  +1
  Persona
  +3
  +1
  6th
  +4
  +3
  +3
  +2
  Bonus Feat
  +3
  +1
  7th
  +5
  +4
  +4
  +2
  Phantom
  +4
  +1
  8th
  +6
  +4
  +4
  +2
  Quick Change
  +4
  +1
  9th
  +6
  +4
  +4
  +3
  Bonus Feat
  +5
  +2
  10th
  +7
  +5
  +5
  +3
  Persona
  +5
  +2
  
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  create a distraction using the Bluff skill. Use of this 
  ability requires the mystery man to spend an action 
  point. 
  Quick Change: At 8th level the mystery man has 
  become so practiced at changing into his standard 
  disguises (those modiﬁed by the Persona ability) that 
  he may adopt those disguises as a full round action. 
  This ability includes the character’s secret identity 
  and any Personas he has established through that class 
  ability. Use of this ability requires the mystery man to 
  spend an action point. 
  Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 6th and 9th levels the mystery 
  man gains a bonus feat from the following list: 
  Acrobatic, Advanced Martial Arts, Alertness, Blind-
  Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts, 
  Combat Reﬂexes, Deceptive, Defensive Martial Arts, 
  Dodge, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Mobility, 
  Spring Attack 
  
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