D20 Rebirth

d20 Rebirth is a fan-made RPG system based on the d20 System being developed by James "Fax Celestis" Raine. It started on the Giant in the Playground forums (birthplace of that other big roleplaying project) before being mirrored over to its own site and forums (located here). Though currently experiencing some very justified delays (due to an infant, mostly), work has been progressing steadily for a couple of years now, and the game system is looking more and more promising.

Fax's stated goal with d20 Rebirth is to make an alternative system to replace Pathfinder and 4th Edition, building on the principles of D&D's 3.5 Edition and working to correct its perceived flaws and add in things he's wanted to see supported in the rules while excising what didn't work. Currently there is no stated release date, but alpha testing has already begun with released material.


 * Competitive Balance: The Fighter class has been eliminated/divided to create stronger and more focused combat classes.
 * Class and Level System: Being based on the d20 system, it still uses one of these.
 * Determinator: The d20r Paladin is fueled by uses of "Resolve."
 * Enlightenment Superpowers: The Monk has mystical powers and strikes, which he activates by spending "Atman."
 * A Father to His Men: Warlords, one of the fighter spinoff classes, have auras of leadership which buff their allies.
 * Flynning: d20r has a Fencer class, which gets the Brave Fencer fighting style feat (itself usable by anyone, letting them get some quality Flynning.
 * Fusion Dance: Druids combine with spirits of natural forces, getting their powers but also taking on some of their traits.
 * Implacable Man: The Dreadnaught gets a lot of hit points, a lot of endurance and the ability to shrug off magical damage. Try to push him around, knock him off his feet or block his way with a stone wall and he will just keep coming for you.
 * Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards: d20r seems to be trying to subvert this trope, with far less linear warriors. Whether the wizards will be less quadratic remains to be seen.
 * Nature Spirit: The Druid makes bonds with these to obtain their powers.
 * PVP-Balanced: While probably not completely level, the playing field has been evened thanks to stronger combat classes, a lot more options and selection capability for said classes and adaptable scaling abilities for multiclassers.
 * Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Averted for Druids hoping to bind Fire and Water, or other fundamentally incompatible spirits; one or more of them will get offended and abandon the summoner for a time.
 * Trying to Catch Me Fighting Dirty: Rogues, while retaining Sneak Attack, now have other combat powers to reinforce their Combat Pragmatist style.