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Captain Kidd
2011-02-06, 07:33 PM
Ok Playground, help me out here. :)

I've got a suspicion one of my players is going to want to do quite a bit of gambling in an upcoming campaign. Until now I've never had to worry about it and now I'm at a slight loss.

Were it straightforward, honest gambling, we'd look up some games and do it at the table. However, there are some issues, I don't own a roulette wheel for one thing.

Mainly though, cheating is the problem. How does one do the loaded die or card slipped up a sleeve? Obviously we can't actually do many of the games at the table, doubly so when the ill-intentions start up. So, I'm thinking a slight of hands to slip the card out of a sleeve, etc. Maybe a bluff check to, uh, bluff. Possibly a profession(gambling) or knowledge(gambling) in there with just an int check if somebody doesn't have the skill trained.

I'd also like to figure out how to do a number of hands in just a few rolls rather than tediously do each one. I guess just condense a few rolls and say each represents 5 hands or so.

I've done some low-level searches, but haven't found anything very useful yet.

Edit to fix a bunch of dumb typos.

Curious
2011-02-06, 07:41 PM
Well, I'm fairly certain there aren't many rules for your player's frolicking around in most places. Maybe Russia. Personally, I wouldn't be overly concerned if I were you. :smallwink:

Gambol: To tumble playfully.

Swok
2011-02-06, 07:57 PM
Honestly thought by title that this would be a post about the Jabberwock in the bestiary 2.

To actually be helpful, I think D20 modern has rules for gambling. You could probably adapt those to pathfinder if you want something quick and easy.
Though I think they just used, of all things, profession: gambler and made it an opposed check. (which sounds like exactly what you were thinking of doing if I wasn't clear)

Captain Kidd
2011-02-06, 08:00 PM
doh. Sorry about that title screwup.

Human Paragon 3
2011-02-06, 11:40 PM
I actually invented several gambling games that use a set of hobby dice, and have used them in campaigns. PM me if you're interested in trying them out and I'll send you the rules.

Ravens_cry
2011-02-06, 11:43 PM
Well, I'm fairly certain there aren't many rules for your player's frolicking around in most places. Maybe Russia. Personally, I wouldn't be overly concerned if I were you. :smallwink:

Gambol: To tumble playfully.
So, Acrobatics check?

Suichimo
2011-02-06, 11:53 PM
On page 182, the Advanced Player's Guide has two Loaded Die, normal and superior, along with a marked deck of cards.

Appraise/Spot vs. Loaded Dice, for you, and Sleight of Hand vs. your NPC's spot check seems right for a card up the sleeve.

LibraryOgre
2011-02-07, 12:27 AM
Unless you want to spend a lot of time on him gambling, I'd keep it pretty simple.

Allow him to make Profession: Gambler check as if it were the Perform (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/perform) skill (perhaps with altered amounts, depending on how much he is willing to risk).

He can use a sleight of hand check (DC: 10+highest applicable spot modifier) to add a +2 to his roll. If he controls the cards or dice (i.e. informal gambling), then marked cards and the like apply; you might allow other bonuses, depending on other items he gets (like a Luckstone or Luckblade should always add to his gambling roll).

For longer gambling sessions (and skill-based games), turn it into a skill challenge. His Sleight of Hand against others Spot checks. His Bluff against their Sense Motive. Have them play out two or three rounds of "combat", with the number of won rounds providing a bonus to the opposed Profession: Gambler check.

Allow him to get creative with skills on this... he may try Diplomacy, instead of Bluff, explaining that he asked around before the game and learned that Chico always does X. If he can come up with a good reasoning, then he "wins" the round if the opposed roll goes his way. Knowledge:Nobility or Local to know how this guy bets. Disguise to recognize tells. Intimidate to make the guy think that maybe winning isn't such a good idea ("It isn't wise to upset a wookie.").

But, yeah, if he's just trying to fill out his character and make money for ale and whores, drop it to a Gambling check, maybe with a couple other rolls to give his skills a workout. If it becomes plot-important, turn it into an extended skill challenge, and let player creativity come into it.

faceroll
2011-02-07, 02:09 AM
Unless you want to spend a lot of time on him gambling, I'd keep it pretty simple.

Allow him to make Profession: Gambler check as if it were the Perform (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/perform) skill (perhaps with altered amounts, depending on how much he is willing to risk).

He can use a sleight of hand check (DC: 10+highest applicable spot modifier) to add a +2 to his roll. If he controls the cards or dice (i.e. informal gambling), then marked cards and the like apply; you might allow other bonuses, depending on other items he gets (like a Luckstone or Luckblade should always add to his gambling roll).

For longer gambling sessions (and skill-based games), turn it into a skill challenge. His Sleight of Hand against others Spot checks. His Bluff against their Sense Motive. Have them play out two or three rounds of "combat", with the number of won rounds providing a bonus to the opposed Profession: Gambler check.

Allow him to get creative with skills on this... he may try Diplomacy, instead of Bluff, explaining that he asked around before the game and learned that Chico always does X. If he can come up with a good reasoning, then he "wins" the round if the opposed roll goes his way. Knowledge:Nobility or Local to know how this guy bets. Disguise to recognize tells. Intimidate to make the guy think that maybe winning isn't such a good idea ("It isn't wise to upset a wookie.").

But, yeah, if he's just trying to fill out his character and make money for ale and whores, drop it to a Gambling check, maybe with a couple other rolls to give his skills a workout. If it becomes plot-important, turn it into an extended skill challenge, and let player creativity come into it.

If you want to keep the rolls low, I would just have him make profession: gambling checks. He could get bonuses from synergy (+2 from each of bluff, sleight of hand, knowledge: local, and sense motive) as well as from a masterwork item.

Ravens_cry
2011-02-07, 02:13 AM
If you want to keep the rolls low, I would just have him make profession: gambling checks. He could get bonuses from synergy (+2 from each of bluff, sleight of hand, knowledge: local, and sense motive) as well as from a masterwork item.
Alas, Synergy Bonuses are no more in Pathfinder, unless they have been houseruled back in.

faceroll
2011-02-07, 06:27 AM
Alas, Synergy Bonuses are no more in Pathfinder, unless they have been houseruled back in.

Doh. Didn't realize it was PF.

Earthwalker
2011-02-07, 08:03 AM
For my current campaign (I am DM) I have a gambler character.

He has a profession (Gambler) skill that could be used to make money as an profession. (He has it linked to Cha not Wis but could be either)

For a game of poker that is going to appear I am going to run it like this.

Play a few hands with real cards. Deal out 5 cards to each player at the table. Then the player makes a profession (gambler) roll DC 10. For ever time he beats the DC by 5 or more he gets an extra card. So for a roll of 11 he gets on card, for a roll of 23 he would get 3 more.

Then he makes the best hand he can.

For slight of hand he makes a roll, if he beats the other card players perception he gets any card he wants from the deck.

Captain Kidd
2011-02-07, 01:44 PM
Thanks for the input. (Both for the intended subject and the pokes over my typo ... gambol indeed.)

On page 182, the Advanced Player's Guide has two Loaded Die, normal and superior, along with a marked deck of cards.

Appraise/Spot vs. Loaded Dice, for you, and Sleight of Hand vs. your NPC's spot check seems right for a card up the sleeve.ooo, looks like a reason to by another book.


Unless you want to spend a lot of time on him gambling, I'd keep it pretty simple.

Allow him to make Profession: Gambler check as if it were the Perform (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/skills/perform) skill (perhaps with altered amounts, depending on how much he is willing to risk).

He can use a sleight of hand check (DC: 10+highest applicable spot modifier) to add a +2 to his roll. If he controls the cards or dice (i.e. informal gambling), then marked cards and the like apply; you might allow other bonuses, depending on other items he gets (like a Luckstone or Luckblade should always add to his gambling roll).

For longer gambling sessions (and skill-based games), turn it into a skill challenge. His Sleight of Hand against others Spot checks. His Bluff against their Sense Motive. Have them play out two or three rounds of "combat", with the number of won rounds providing a bonus to the opposed Profession: Gambler check.

Allow him to get creative with skills on this... he may try Diplomacy, instead of Bluff, explaining that he asked around before the game and learned that Chico always does X. If he can come up with a good reasoning, then he "wins" the round if the opposed roll goes his way. Knowledge:Nobility or Local to know how this guy bets. Disguise to recognize tells. Intimidate to make the guy think that maybe winning isn't such a good idea ("It isn't wise to upset a wookie.").

But, yeah, if he's just trying to fill out his character and make money for ale and whores, drop it to a Gambling check, maybe with a couple other rolls to give his skills a workout. If it becomes plot-important, turn it into an extended skill challenge, and let player creativity come into it.
Yeah, this is along the lines of what I was thinking. This is where my thoughts were headed.

For my current campaign (I am DM) I have a gambler character.

He has a profession (Gambler) skill that could be used to make money as an profession. (He has it linked to Cha not Wis but could be either)

For a game of poker that is going to appear I am going to run it like this.

Play a few hands with real cards. Deal out 5 cards to each player at the table. Then the player makes a profession (gambler) roll DC 10. For ever time he beats the DC by 5 or more he gets an extra card. So for a roll of 11 he gets on card, for a roll of 23 he would get 3 more.

Then he makes the best hand he can.

For slight of hand he makes a roll, if he beats the other card players perception he gets any card he wants from the deck.Now this is interesting, but alas we probably won't that into it since we're already strapped for time as it is. :(