PDA

View Full Version : Heavy Metal Rülz



Eulalios
2013-08-07, 08:07 PM
What is problem?
In standard D&D, characters' innate abilities are eclipsed by skill mastery as they advance in levels / skill ranks / whatever.

But in real life, people with average ability do not achieve extraordinary skill; and those with great skill, still can perform only to the best of their abilities.

This is not universally perceived as problem with standard D&D.

What is solution?
One solution, presented here, incorporates a notion of "competence:" a skilled person can perform to one's best ability but no further; an unskilled person only sporadically performs to one's best ability.

Eulalios
2013-08-07, 09:00 PM
A character's abilities are innate qualities. Maybe they can be improved. They can certainly deteriorate. They are hard to change and they establish both goals and limits to how well the character can perform. These should look familiar:



abilities
(power) STR 3d6
(work) CON 3d6
(precision) DEX 3d6
(problem spotting) WIS 3d6
(problem solving) INT 3d6
(implementation) CHA 3d6

(add to lowest ability)booster die: 1d6


The main purpose of the familiar 3-18 distribution, in these rules, is to set a bell curve for assignment of ...
Ability Dice
{table]underlying ability | descriptor | d# (primary) | bonus (secondary)
<6|trivial|d4|-2
6-8|slight|d6|-1
9-12|moderate|d8|0
13-15|notable|d10|+1
16-18|exceptional|d12|+2
19+|extraordinary|d20|+3[/table]

Ability dice are what get rolled to determine how well a character performs a task; high numbers are better results; an average character will never roll higher than 8 on any task. Any task is expected to have a primary ability (roll the appropriate dice) and a secondary ability (add the appropriate bonus).

Eulalios
2013-08-09, 10:15 PM
Of course one purpose of a roleplaying game is to imagine how a character would perform in response to a challenge.

The simple case is a challenge without any time limit, where a character can bring to bear all possible skill:

{table]die roll | Challenge severity | target for success | bonus | xp per die
< 6 | trivial | 4 | +2 | 0
6-8 | slight | 6 | +1 | 1
9-12 | moderate | 8 | 0 | 2
13-15 | notable | 10 | -1| 3
16-18 | exceptional | 12 | -2 | 5
19+ | extraordinary | 20 | -4 | 8 [/table]

Some characters (those with a relevant ability <6, i.e. rolling d4s) will find it difficult (i.e., impossible) to overcome an obstacle that requires a single die roll against that ability. Fear NOT! Each level in a relevant competence will grant an additional die to roll. If the highest rolled die is not sufficient to succeed, sum it with the next highest rolled die, and so on, until the sum exceeds the target for success. Or, if all of the rolled dice do not together exceed the target, then use the rolled total to assess the severity of a new challenge or "complication" induced by the character's effort.

Doorhandle
2013-08-09, 11:52 PM
Looking to be fairly innovative thus far, and the example given is pretty funny.

What sort of target numbers are there?

edit: And I'm a LITTLE interested in the game itself.

Eulalios
2013-08-10, 06:57 AM
Looking to be fairly innovative thus far, and the example given is pretty funny.

What sort of target numbers are there?


Post-edits, this quote has no connect, but at the time it was quite helpful.

An unskilled character, facing a challenge, simply rolls the primary ability die plus the secondary ability bonus. A skilled character better knows how to competently use ones abilities in overcoming the challenge. Thus, each rank of competence in a skill grants one additional roll of the primary ability die.

In facing a challenge without time limits, the total of dice may be compared to the target number. However, if time is a constraint, only the highest die is considered.

exemplary skills
Violence
Healing
Repair
Crafting
Music
Stealth
Deception
Performance
Control
Enhancement

Skills may include specialties. Each rank of detail in a specialty grants one additional rank of competence, beyond the ranks of competence in the generic skill. Ranks of detail have no cost in skill points at starting out. However, when planning toward the next level up, the character will allocate the level award among generic skills and/or specialties. Sometimes this allocation will elide a specialty.

exemplary specialties
Violence (3 ranks); with sharp things (+1 rank = 4); specifically, swords (+1 rank = 5); more specifically, sword and dagger vs. sword and dagger (+1 rank = 6)

Music (3 ranks); performing it (+1 rank = 4); specifically, with a guitar (+1 rank = 5); more specifically, in the metal genre (+1 rank = 6); yet more specifically, with a particular group (+1 rank = 7)

Starting out
Each character starts with total ranks of competence = (3+WIS bonus)d(highest stat die)b1 + INT bonus. example A character with CON 15 (d10), WIS 10, and INT 13 (+1) = 3d10b1+1 ranks of competence. Ranks of competence may be distributed among one or more skills, then specialties may be chosen without cost.

Leveling up
{table]xp|0/100|1000|2000|4000|7000|12,000|20,000|33,000|54,00 0
level|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9[/table]
xp are gained by rolling dice, according to the scale of a challenge; and by watching (not just seeing) dice used, half as many xp as for rolling.

At the beginning of each level, specify the character's goal for the level:
Augment a single ability by 1 point;
Gain a new skill; or
Allocate (level) ranks of competence among existing skills or specialties.

At the end of the level (e.g. 1000 xp for level 1), the character achieves the goal.

example
At starting:
Violence (3 ranks); with sharp things (+1 rank = 4); specifically, swords (+1 rank = 5); more specifically, sword and dagger vs. sword and dagger (+1 rank = 6)
Level goal for level 1: add one rank to Violence with sharp things (starting rank = 4)
After level up:
Violence (3 ranks); with sharp things (5 ranks); more specifically, sword and dagger vs. sword and dagger (6 ranks)

Eulalios
2013-08-13, 07:00 PM
The past discussion of Competence focused on achieving objectives - tasks or obstacles that had a fixed difficulty describable as "trivial" (target 4) or "moderate" (target 8) or "exceptional" (target 12).

What if the character faces a subjective challenge - another character's opposition?

Then, of course, time constrains the characters' performance, and the "target" for each character becomes the other character's highest roll.

This gets tricky conceptually, in that when facing a solo challenge - one where they have a bit of time on their hands - a character with arguably relevant competence can achieve a target higher than their relevant ability die - e.g., a character of moderate (d8) STR with 3 levels of competence in Violence (grappling specialty), could roll 5d8 and could meet a target of 20 for wrassling an extraordinarily heavy object out of the way. Thus, a roll of {7, 4, 8, 5, 3} = 27 ("extraordinary" success).

However, when facing a character of exceptional (d12) STR, without any relevant competence, the skilled grappler would be able only to compare the highest single rolled d8 against the exceptionally strong character's single d12. The idea here is that in a contest between characters, there's not a lot of time to cumulate one's efforts; it is first and best takes all.

Eulalios
2013-08-13, 08:30 PM
RPGs typically focus on competition, which is great and all-American. Sometimes we have rules for co-operation where people take turns or work on separate pieces of a project to get a desired result.

Music is collaborative and that means those rules don't work (or shouldn't - it's often a ###### show when the bassist competes with the guitarist).

Here's the paradigmatic skill check for a set (a template for other collaborative, extended efforts):

Everybody rolls their Music skill, using INT dice. Pick a target number that everyone meets. That number establishes the quality of the setlist (i.e., "poor" (4), "fair" (6), "ok" (8), "alright" (10), "right-on" (12), or "righteous" (20).

Everybody rolls their Music subskill (e.g., Guitar, Soundboard, whatevs), using CON dice. Again, pick the target number that everyone meets, this is the quality of practice.

Now it's stage time. Everybody rolls their Music subskill (you know) using DEX dice. Except for the VOCALIST or frontman (often the same), who uses CHA dice. Because, you know, *voice* requires personality, and *front* requires personality, while instruments let skill express what's hidden in the day-to-day. Again, pick the target number that everyone meets. This is how the band sounds as a group. One caveat: the target number can't be higher than the quality of the setlist, and it can't be higher than the quality of the practice.

"But wait!" shrieks the electric violinist. "I put blisters under my calluses while the fr*n vocalist merely gargled olive oil! And he [ ooc ]rolls only d8s on CHA ... while I roll d12s on DEX[ /ooc]."

Not to worry, Sra. Violista. That is why you negotiated a solo on ... every ... song. Your moments to make spines tingle.

Eulalios
2013-08-15, 09:33 AM
If a character uses a "moderate" tool to implement a competence, then all die rolls are capped at 8. e.g. rolling d10s, the range of rolls is 1-8, 8, 8.

If using a minor/"slight" tool, then rolls are capped at 6; however, +1 bonus to all rolls. The range of rolls on a d10 is 2-6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6. A character rolling d8s would roll 6, 4 out of 8 tries, on average.

If using a notable tool, then rolls are capped at 10, with a -1 bonus to represent the complexity / difficulty of using the tool. Range of rolls on d10 would be 0-9. Of course if a character has one ability high enough to roll d10s, it is possible that another ability may be high enough to grant a +1 bonus counteracting the tool complexity.

Eulalios
2013-08-24, 11:50 AM
Where it gets "real"
Combat is the quintessence of competition. Use of tools in combat, for conquering otherwise indomitable opponents, is an aspect of humanity - arguably, the aspect that has enabled all others. No wonder we play at combat in sports, and in games.

So how do these Heavy Metal Rülz approach combat? Of course, as a competition among characters using tools.

What tools?
Weapons, and armor.

Weapons enable the infliction of injury, and defense against the same. A fist is the simplest of weapons - it is trivial (cap 4/+2). Other weapons may be light (cap 6/+1), medium (cap 8), heavy (cap 10/-1), extra heavy (cap 12/-2).

{table]melee weapon|weight
fist,teeth|trivial
foot,baton,dagger*,flail|light
smallsword*,mace,axe*|medium
longsword*,spear*|heavy
polearm*|extra heavy[/table]

One of STR or DEX is a character's primary ability (dice) for using a weapon; the other is the secondary ability (bonus). Combat is a sequence of time-constrained competitions between two (or more) characters. As such,

example
Grug* is a barbaric drummer confronted by a mob, who are enraged that the absence of his band's singer and bassist has prevented performance at a paid concert. Grug's skills include Smashing the Crap Out of Stuff (4 ranks); he has notable STR and DEX, while the angry audience are of moderate STR and DEX with no particular combat skills. Three ticketholders attempt to pummel Grug, who warily clutches his drumsticks. ...

Grug 5d10+1; wielding drumsticks (light, cap 6/+1)
ticketholder 1 1d8; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2)
ticketholder 2 1d8; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2)
ticketholder 3 1d8; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2)



Grug (5d10)[7][2][9][9][6](33)+1; wielding drumsticks (light, cap 6/+1)
ticketholder 1 (1d8)[3]; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2) = 4
ticketholder 2 (1d8)[8]; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2) = 4
ticketholder 3 (1d8)[6]; wielding fists (trivial, cap 4/+2) = 4

Grug pits his highest die (with cap) against TH 1, next highest against TH 2, next highest against TH 3 ... Thus, Grug defeats all three with 6 vs 4, 6 vs 4, 6 vs 4 ...

Armor reduces the severity of injuries. Armor can be of various qualities: light (d6), medium (d8), heavy (d10), or extra-heavy (d12). The victor in a round of combat inflicts an injury of severity equal to the capped roll (+2 if the weapon is sharp), minus the quality roll of any armor worn by the injured party. Thus, a victor wielding a heavy weapon (d10/-1) against heavy armor (d8) can expect to inflict wounds ranging from trivial (0-4) through moderate (9).

Drumsticks are not sharp. The ticketholders are unarmored. Grug raises some welts.

The injured party rolls the larger of (a single CON die or a single CHA die) + STR bonus, against the target number for the severity of injury. If the roll is under the target, then the injured party misses their next action (no roll for combat).



ticketholder 1 (1d8)[4]; ticketholder 2 (1d8)[6]; ticketholder 3 (1d8)[7]


Wound severities stack up; two trivial wounds = one light wound, two light wounds (*but not one light wound + two trivial wounds) = one moderate wound, etc. When accumulated wound severity exceeds the lesser of the character's CON descriptor or CHA descriptor (e.g., character with moderate CON and exceptional CHA has two moderate wounds) then the character is unable to continue fighting.

The combat continues ...

Eulalios
2013-08-27, 06:57 AM
Mages are special, like scientists
Any character with the Magic skill has supernormal awareness of unseen forces that are available to be manipulated. This makes mages a great deal like scientists.

Given any tools - even their own bodies - mages can attempt to manipulate the unseen.

Magic is a challenge composed of stackable elements


Spells are tools that mages make

Just to Browse
2013-08-28, 09:33 PM
This is very fiddly. Rolling different dice based on different skill levels sets very obvious thresholds for players, and those +2/-2 bonuses are a pain to track. I'm just confused as to what you want from your system that others wouldn't give you.

Eulalios
2013-08-29, 12:39 PM
This is very fiddly. Rolling different dice based on different skill levels sets very obvious thresholds for players, and those +2/-2 bonuses are a pain to track. I'm just confused as to what you want from your system that others wouldn't give you.

Could you expand on what you meant by "obvious thresholds?" One of the design intents is to shape events so that an extraordinarily strong character of minimal skill, wrestling a character of great skill but average strength, can expect to win more than 40% of the time, and can expect to dominate an unskilled average guy about 60% of the time. The bonuses would tilt things even more in favor of the strong guy.