Alias
2013-01-23, 11:33 AM
I'll try to keep this short. This is a core mechanic idea I've been refining and doing the odds math on for awhile. It's an evolution from d20 where, instead of taking modifiers and, as a result, having target numbers that are constantly moving as the game goes up in level, the character picks up additional dice to roll on checks.
The heart of it all is this: d20 + ability die + (skill die / attack die / reaction die)
So if you're checking a skill, you use a skill die, making an attack - attack die, reacting or "saving" you use a reaction die.
These other dice range from d4 (poor) to d12 (great) at the start of the game. So, like in Savage Worlds, a character might have a d12 strength. They check strength with a d20+d12. When making a climb check where strength is relevant (most of them) the character rolls the die representing climb skill, for example - d20+d12+d6
Follow so far?
The target numbers go in multiples of 3 and happily line up with what characters of a certain amount of skill and ability can do roughly 50% of the time. Hence
12 (very easy) - character with no skill and minimum ability succeeds half the time.
15 (easy) - character with minimum skill and ability succeeds half the time
18 (moderate)
21 (hard)
24 (very hard) - character rolling d20+2d12 will succeed half the time. This is also the maximum target number that can be hit with d20+d4, though that requires a 20 and 4 be rolled, odds of this are 1 in 800.
Optional target numbers of 27 and 30 can be used. Because the system uses multiple dice, odds of success bell curve...
Got all that?
K, next wrinkle. What comes after d12? What is the strength of an ogre? A giant?? A dragon???
Savage Worlds uses ability bonuses to answer this, but that reintroduces target number inflation. What I've played with is adding additional dice. The next "score" beyond d12 is d12/d4, taking the highest roll between the two dice. Each time the skill (or ability or whatever) is promoted the new die goes up -- d12/d6, d12/d8 and so on to d12/d12. That is the strength of an ogre. A giant takes the best of 3d12 rolls, and a dragon the best of 4d12.
There are two upshots to this. First, the target numbers remain consistent - but the odds of success improve. The improvements become more marginal though - the difference between 3d12 take best and 4d12 take best isn't as much as d12 and 2d12...
But they can be costed the same - which is nice on point buy. A lot of systems have to change how many character points you spend to raise a high score even higher - for good reason. Characters are encouraged to diversify their skills at high level rather than break the game in half in one or more ways. With this system each point spent in a skill gives diminishing returns.
But there's more wrinkles I've found.
One is the tricky area of knowledges. Which sounds better - I have 3d12 in Science, or I have d12 in Physics, d12 in Chemistry and d12 in Engineering. If my character is doing something that all three skills apply to, simply roll all the relevant skill dice and pick the best result.
At this point in the system's evolution I've worked out how the mechanic works and I'm working on the costing of the three check types - attacks, skills and reactions. In d20 reactions and attacks are locked to class as they give a strong indication of character combat survivability. The locking to class also prevents players from neglecting them while building a character.
Their costing should be different and higher than the skill costing. To have a reference point, the raising of a skill from one die to the next should cost 1 point.
My plan is to work out the character point framework, then set the class / level system on top of that as a simplification layer. This should be much easier than deciding what the classes do first and then trying to convert back to character points.
Ok, I'll stop here and wait for comments, if any. With completely new systems, that's largely a crap shoot. Thanks for reading.
The heart of it all is this: d20 + ability die + (skill die / attack die / reaction die)
So if you're checking a skill, you use a skill die, making an attack - attack die, reacting or "saving" you use a reaction die.
These other dice range from d4 (poor) to d12 (great) at the start of the game. So, like in Savage Worlds, a character might have a d12 strength. They check strength with a d20+d12. When making a climb check where strength is relevant (most of them) the character rolls the die representing climb skill, for example - d20+d12+d6
Follow so far?
The target numbers go in multiples of 3 and happily line up with what characters of a certain amount of skill and ability can do roughly 50% of the time. Hence
12 (very easy) - character with no skill and minimum ability succeeds half the time.
15 (easy) - character with minimum skill and ability succeeds half the time
18 (moderate)
21 (hard)
24 (very hard) - character rolling d20+2d12 will succeed half the time. This is also the maximum target number that can be hit with d20+d4, though that requires a 20 and 4 be rolled, odds of this are 1 in 800.
Optional target numbers of 27 and 30 can be used. Because the system uses multiple dice, odds of success bell curve...
Got all that?
K, next wrinkle. What comes after d12? What is the strength of an ogre? A giant?? A dragon???
Savage Worlds uses ability bonuses to answer this, but that reintroduces target number inflation. What I've played with is adding additional dice. The next "score" beyond d12 is d12/d4, taking the highest roll between the two dice. Each time the skill (or ability or whatever) is promoted the new die goes up -- d12/d6, d12/d8 and so on to d12/d12. That is the strength of an ogre. A giant takes the best of 3d12 rolls, and a dragon the best of 4d12.
There are two upshots to this. First, the target numbers remain consistent - but the odds of success improve. The improvements become more marginal though - the difference between 3d12 take best and 4d12 take best isn't as much as d12 and 2d12...
But they can be costed the same - which is nice on point buy. A lot of systems have to change how many character points you spend to raise a high score even higher - for good reason. Characters are encouraged to diversify their skills at high level rather than break the game in half in one or more ways. With this system each point spent in a skill gives diminishing returns.
But there's more wrinkles I've found.
One is the tricky area of knowledges. Which sounds better - I have 3d12 in Science, or I have d12 in Physics, d12 in Chemistry and d12 in Engineering. If my character is doing something that all three skills apply to, simply roll all the relevant skill dice and pick the best result.
At this point in the system's evolution I've worked out how the mechanic works and I'm working on the costing of the three check types - attacks, skills and reactions. In d20 reactions and attacks are locked to class as they give a strong indication of character combat survivability. The locking to class also prevents players from neglecting them while building a character.
Their costing should be different and higher than the skill costing. To have a reference point, the raising of a skill from one die to the next should cost 1 point.
My plan is to work out the character point framework, then set the class / level system on top of that as a simplification layer. This should be much easier than deciding what the classes do first and then trying to convert back to character points.
Ok, I'll stop here and wait for comments, if any. With completely new systems, that's largely a crap shoot. Thanks for reading.