Borderlands TTRPG

Loot, builds, and second chances rebuilt for a d20 table.

A pre-AI fan tabletop adaptation that translated Borderlands-style gear, class choices, shops, enemies, vehicles, and downed-state heroics into runnable table procedures.

Pre-AI system design Custom d20 adaptation Fan project, not official

What This Adaptation Shows

Borderlands TTRPG shows the same design habit from a different angle: take a videogame loop people understand, then build enough table structure that the GM can actually run it.

The value is in the mechanics translation. Loot tables, gear slots, downed-state action, encounter rewards, shop prep, vehicles, feats, and player inventory all connect into one table-facing system.

Turns constant loot discovery into procedures instead of one-off GM improvisation.
Connects player inventories, NPC prep, shops, vehicles, rewards, feats, and leveling.
Shows dense pre-AI system work built from scratch for a d20 table.

Evidence overview

The contact sheet rebuilt as readable proof.

The original board is useful as a source map. This section translates it into text visitors can actually read.

183 rules pages

Rules, leveling, healing, downed-state play, shields, weapons, mods, damage types, feats, classes, and backgrounds.

6 system workbooks

Loot, NPCs, equipment, vehicles, item building, feats, leveling, shops, and encounter rewards.

15 loot tracker tabs

Player inventory, shops, weapon slots, vehicles, XP/VHP, gear effects, and reward tracking.

3 item-builder sheets

Procedural weapon, shield, and grenade generation so loot variety had a table procedure.

Loot was operationalized.

The project does not just say "give them a cool gun." It defines how loot can be generated, priced, tracked, equipped, and rewarded.

Prep connected to play.

NPC sheets, shops, encounter rewards, vehicles, equipment, feats, and leveling were designed to feed the same table loop.

The claim stays bounded.

This is a fan tabletop adaptation and portfolio proof of system design, not an official Borderlands release or commercial product.

Readable mechanics

The adaptation lives in the procedures.

These are the parts of the system that mattered most at the table: how players get loot, track it, build with it, and turn it into action.

Loot builder

Procedural gear had a concrete builder.

The weapon generator translated loot variety into a repeatable table process. It gave the GM knobs for rarity, manufacturer feel, weapon type, damage, reload pressure, magazine size, properties, and cost.

Procedure	What It Controlled	Table Function
Manufacturer and rarity	Style, availability, and reward weight.	Makes loot feel different before the stats are even read.
Weapon stats	Accuracy, damage, reload or charge speed, magazine size, and damage type.	Turns a drop into a build decision instead of a name on a list.
Known properties	Special tags such as burst, extended capacity, reload traits, or splash behavior.	Gives the GM fast variation without writing every item by hand.

Inventory

Loot needed a place to live.

The found-loot tracker made the high-volume reward loop manageable. Players could track weapons, backpack pressure, mod slots, HP/VHP, effects, shops, rewards, and vehicles without the GM carrying all of it in memory.

Player-facing

Inventories, weapon slots, gear effects, mod slots, health layers, and backpack limits.

GM-facing

Shop inventory, encounter rewards, enemy drops, vehicle options, and XP/VHP pacing.

Why it matters

The system supports frequent rewards without turning every loot moment into bookkeeping chaos.

Rules packet

Covered leveling, healing, Fight For Your Life, Second Chance, Badass Points, critical results, shields, armor, flesh, equipment, weapons, grenades, shield mods, class mods, artifact mods, damage types, feats, and class/background options.

Build choices

Feat and class material gave players ways to shape their character beyond basic attacks, with costs and requirements tied to progression.

Encounter economy

NPCs, shops, encounter rewards, and vehicles let the GM connect scene prep to player loot and advancement.

Campaign entry

The rules had a way into play.

The story opening connected the system to scenes: vault-hunter premise, crash, town defense, skags, bandits, Dr. Zed, Fyrestone, roadblocks, and boss-gate structure.

Premise

Players enter as vault hunters with clear genre expectations.

Early pressure

Crash, town defense, enemies, and NPC help create immediate table momentum.

Progression gate

Roadblocks and boss gates translate videogame pacing into campaign structure.

Keep exploring

More adaptation and system work.

Compare this loot-driven d20 adaptation with another pre-AI mechanics archive, or return to the full project index.

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