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Author Topic: A few lingering questions with my system that I need some help with  (Read 550 times)

vgunn

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Okay, I think I have finally settled on a resolution that works for me. Really simple overall, but I still have a few questions and concerns. Hoping you can give some advice.

Here is the rundown:

Stat+skill(s)+2d6 roll high, meet or exceed target number for success. Reroll doubles and add to total. The higher you beat the TN the more successes you get (three-point increments give you an extra success). Pretty straightforward.

BTW -- Stats go 1-12 and skills 1-6.

Now for specializations or qualities I was thinking of giving bonus d6 (flaws give penalty d6 and take lowest 2 numbers). Really becomes a d6 roll and keep, similar to Green Ronin's Song of Ice & Fire game. No matter how many d6 you roll, you only keep 2.

So a couple of questions:

Should there be a cap on how many d6 you can roll? I was thinking 5 or 6. Reasoning behind this is skill specializations go from 1-6. Qualities go from 1-3. However what if someone has a 6 say in short blade specialization and a 3 in battlelust. That would mean 9d6 can be rolled.

Should specializations and qualities provide different bonuses (one gives +points to the roll and the other gives d6)?

If you roll 5d6 and keep 2, should you be able to reroll if there were doubles? For example, roll 5d6 you get 2, 4, 4, 1, 6. Keep the two fours and reroll.

How should I handle penalty dice for flaws? Say you have a -2 flaw, roll 4d6 and keep lowest 2. Does this sound good?

Thanks in advance!
 

vgunn

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A few lingering questions with my system that I need some help with
« Reply #1 on: January 16, 2009, 09:56:07 AM »
Hoping for a few differing responses!
 

Silverlion

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A few lingering questions with my system that I need some help with
« Reply #2 on: January 16, 2009, 04:54:49 PM »
Sounds a bit complicated. Honestly, why all the fiddling?

Simple method: GM sets target number right? Why not have him lower it if the hero has advantages, or increase it if the hero has penalties? That means you are only fiddling with the one number, and the dice stay the same. Isn't the result much the same, making it easier or harder, at the same time keeping it very basic in its handling?
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vgunn

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A few lingering questions with my system that I need some help with
« Reply #3 on: January 16, 2009, 08:43:02 PM »
Quote from: Silverlion;278931
Sounds a bit complicated. Honestly, why all the fiddling?

Simple method: GM sets target number right? Why not have him lower it if the hero has advantages, or increase it if the hero has penalties? That means you are only fiddling with the one number, and the dice stay the same. Isn't the result much the same, making it easier or harder, at the same time keeping it very basic in its handling?


I was thinking about this for qualities and flaws. Good idea.

As for how is my system is it that much different from ASOIAF?

Here is the resolution for that game:

Quote:

Abilities

A character’s rating in an ability is measured by rank, a number listed after the ability, like “Athletics 2” or “Fighting 4”. The greater your rank, the better you are at using that ability. Rank says a lot about your character and knowing it means can help you translate the numbers into useful descriptions. Abilities are ranked from 1 (the lowest) to 7 (the highest).

Specialties

Where rank represents talent combined with training, Specialties reflect a narrowing of an ability’s focus, the result of specific development in one of the many areas an ability encompasses. Specialties, like abilities, are ranked from 1 to 7. They are designated as a number followed by a B (for “bonus”). So, if you had rank 2 in the Axes specialty, you’d note it as Axes 2B. Your specialty rank cannot exceed your ability rank. Your rank in a specialty provides a number of bonus dice toward your ability test. Also, when an opponent tests against your passive test result, you may add the rank of a specialty that most closely applies to the passive test. For example, if a spy tries to sneak past you, he rolls a Stealth test against your passive Awareness test. Assuming you have Awareness 4, your passive result would be 16 (4 times rank 4). If, however, you had a Notice 2 specialty, your passive result would be 18 instead (16 + 2 for the specialty rank).

Qualities

A primary use of Destiny is acquiring various qualities, innate advantages, ranging from prowess in combat to social graces to wealth or even rare supernatural gifts. Several qualities are described for the characters in this book, and many more are presented in the A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying
rulebook.

Drawbacks

The characters of the A Song of Ice and Fire saga are often flawed, some fatally so. Others struggle to overcome the setbacks fate has dealt them. Thus some SIFRP characters have drawbacks, negative qualities, imposing some penalty or difficulty   on the character. You can see several   drawbacks described for the sample characters in this book, including Bastard Born and Flaw. Other drawbacks in SIFRP include things like Craven, Crippled, Debt, Nemesis, and Outcast.

Using Dice

When rolling to try something, you're said to be testing the ability or rolling an ability test. These are called test dice, so if you test a rank 3 ability, for example, you roll three d6. Say you get a 2, 3, 5, you add the numbers up to get a result of 10.

Sometimes, you'll get to roll additional d6 called bonus dice. Bonus dice are not added, but instead improve your chances at getting a better result. You never roll bonus dice by themselves, but roll them along with your test dice and then keep the highest dice equal your test dice. Bonus dice are abbreviated with #B, with the # describing how many bonus dice you get to roll. So, in the previous example, if you test a rank 3 ability with two bonus dice (2B), you roll five six-sided dice, and add up the highest three numbers (equal to the number of test dice).

Modifiers

A modifier is a bonus or penalty applied to a test result. Modifiers are gained as a result of situational factors, such as smoke or fog, being injured and so on.

Penalty Dice

Penalty dice are drawbacks imposed by wounds, flaws, or certain actions. Each penalty die cancels one test die when adding up your result, starting with the lowest remaining die. You apply the penalty die after you roll and after you drop any bonus dice. Penalty dice are abbreviated as #P, so when you see –1P, it means you have one penalty die.

Example: Steve’s character, Reinhart, suffers a wound, imposing 1 penalty die on all tests. In the thick of combat, he shoots an arrow from his longbow at a charging Wildling. Steve has Marksmanship 4 (Bows 2). He rolls six dice and gets a 6, 5, 4, 4, 3, and 1. He drops the 1 and 3 for his bonus dice. He must also drop one of his 4s because of the penalty die from his wound, giving him a result of 15.

Testing Abilities

Whenever you attempt something with dramatic consequences or when the outcome of the action is not certain, you test your abilities. A test is a roll of the dice with   the aim of exceeding the action’s Difficulty. The   number of dice you roll is determined by the most relevant ability, so if you try to stab a Gold Cloak with your sword, you use Fighting, or if you’re trying to scale a keep’s wall, test Athletics. Once   the ability is determined, the   Narrator sets the test’s Difficulty.    The Difficulty describes the   complexity and challenge of   the action. To help   assess how hard a   task is, a   Difficulty number has a descriptor, such as Routine for Difficulty 6, Challenging   for Difficulty 9 and climbing all the way to 21 (or higher) for nearly impossible ones.

Roll the dice

Once you roll the dice, sum the highest results equal to your test dice and add or subtract any modifiers. The total is the test result.

Example: Nicole rolls five d6 (three test dice and two bonus dice from her specialty) and gets 6, 6, 5, 2, 1. She discards the 2 and 1, since they count as bonus dice and adds up the rest, getting a 17 as her result. The test Difficulty was Formidable (12). Since Nicole beat the Difficulty with her 17, she succeeds!


Okay so here is another thought for my mechanic. Stat rank is number (Body 6). Skill is bonus d6. Specialty provides positive modifier in certain applicable situations. Qualities can raise or lower the TN.