OSINT-6 CHANGELOG 251104

SRD 5.2.1 is a fantasy roleplaying document. Its rules assume heroic classes, species, spells, magic items, monsters, treasure, and advancement through 20 levels. Those assumptions aren't confined to isolated chapters. They shape healing, travel, equipment, combat, social interaction, character growth, and the kinds of problems the rules expect players to solve.

That made adaptation more demanding than changing names. OSINT-6 omitted spells, magic, fantasy species, alignment, monsters, treasure, and the SRD classes. Aptitude classes had to be written as complete six-level progressions. Professions replaced fantasy backgrounds with prior occupations, training, access, contacts, qualifications, languages, and origin feats.

Other material required conversion instead of deletion. Armor needed protection, coverage, concealment, qualifications, and legal access. Equipment needed cost bands, availability, readiness, carriage, setup, and deployment. Recovery couldn't depend on magical healing. Travel had to account for cities, roads, borders, aircraft, vehicles, timetables, and operational delays.

The largest gaps concerned intelligence work itself. An isolated ability check can't replace an intelligence cycle. Surveillance needs detection states and counter-surveillance. Sources need motivations, access, reliability, risk, and continuing relationships. Cover identities, exposure, research records, communications security, infiltration, and mission planning all require consequences that persist beyond one roll.

Using 5E also creates expectations. Players may assume rising Hit Points, expanding supernatural capability, combat-centered rewards, and eventual access to high-level solutions. OSINT-6 had to state where those expectations ended. Mission and objective milestones replaced rewards for defeating opponents or taking property. Intelligence and preparation had to matter without guaranteeing success.

The SRD saved work where its procedures fit. It also made the points of incompatibility easier to see. Adaptation succeeded only when we treated those conflicts as design problems instead of cosmetic differences.