PDA

View Full Version : AFMBE How do skill checks work? (also..)



Vixer
2016-12-18, 01:51 AM
Hello all,

I'm about to begin an AFMBE campaign and I was wondering if anyone knows specifically how skill checks are to be worked out? I see many skills that denote using the skill level and an attribuite to add a bonus to its chance for success, but nowhere do I see kindof a calculation of how these are to be done.

Is it expected to for the ZM to arbitrarily assign a DC based on the activity, then the player to roll a D10 + bonus?

Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated cause I'm at a loss and we are to begin the campaign within a week.

Additionally, I want to run a primarily horror campaign but I don't want the group to feel completely gimped. I have 3 players and I was thinking 2 could be norms and 1 could be a survivor (so they have a "badass" in the group) Most likely by having them each roll a die and whoever gets the highest roll is the survivor. I was wondering if anyone has ever ran a campaign with mixed roles between norms, survivors, and the Inspired. If so, how did you choose, did it work well/not?

Thank yoU!

JBPuffin
2016-12-18, 02:15 AM
So, I have no idea what game you're talking about, so I must ask - what is this acronym you have here, and what game is it representing?

Vixer
2016-12-18, 03:48 AM
So, I have no idea what game you're talking about, so I must ask - what is this acronym you have here, and what game is it representing?

Yessir. All Flesh Must Be Eaten. I put it in the tags but I don't know how those work. It's a modern tabletop zombie apocalypse RPG.

From what I gather, everything else in the game seems to use D10+relevant attribute modifiers, so I'm guessing skills are also D10+relevant skill+mod but I'm not positive.

Anonymouswizard
2016-12-18, 05:24 PM
Hello all,

I'm about to begin an AFMBE campaign and I was wondering if anyone knows specifically how skill checks are to be worked out? I see many skills that denote using the skill level and an attribuite to add a bonus to its chance for success, but nowhere do I see kindof a calculation of how these are to be done.

Is it expected to for the ZM to arbitrarily assign a DC based on the activity, then the player to roll a D10 + bonus?

Yes, d10+ Attribute+Skill versus a difficulty number. The basic difficulty number is 10, and I believe every 2 is a degree of success (don't quote me on that though, it's been a while since I've played unisystem and I'm on my phone so can't check my PDF of Witchcraft).


Any insight on this would be greatly appreciated cause I'm at a loss and we are to begin the campaign within a week.

Additionally, I want to run a primarily horror campaign but I don't want the group to feel completely gimped. I have 3 players and I was thinking 2 could be norms and 1 could be a survivor (so they have a "badass" in the group) Most likely by having them each roll a die and whoever gets the highest roll is the survivor. I was wondering if anyone has ever ran a campaign with mixed roles between norms, survivors, and the Inspired. If so, how did you choose, did it work well/not?

Thank yoU!

I really do suggest either all norms or all survivors (ideally survivors or inspired as the player wishes, it is next to impossible to create a combat weak survivor even when trying, my 'weak, focused on mental skills' scientist was still an action hero). It just hard to maintain balance otherwise.

Vixer
2016-12-21, 07:28 PM
Yes, d10+ Attribute+Skill versus a difficulty number. The basic difficulty number is 10, and I believe every 2 is a degree of success (don't quote me on that though, it's been a while since I've played unisystem and I'm on my phone so can't check my PDF of Witchcraft).



I really do suggest either all norms or all survivors (ideally survivors or inspired as the player wishes, it is next to impossible to create a combat weak survivor even when trying, my 'weak, focused on mental skills' scientist was still an action hero). It just hard to maintain balance otherwise.

Thanks for the clarification brother. Well I talked to my group about an idea I had where I will have them each roll a D10 to decide what type of character they will be and they seemed to like it. As opposed to me just deciding one of them gets to be something else, may seem unfair. But this way they will be rolling themselves for it.

1-7: Norm
8-9: Survivor
10: Inspired

Also, when you mention success levels, do you simply mean every 2 overkill beyond the DC? Or do you mean regarding the rule of 10?

Anonymouswizard
2016-12-22, 02:56 PM
Thanks for the clarification brother. Well I talked to my group about an idea I had where I will have them each roll a D10 to decide what type of character they will be and they seemed to like it. As opposed to me just deciding one of them gets to be something else, may seem unfair. But this way they will be rolling themselves for it.

1-7: Norm
8-9: Survivor
10: Inspired

The problem is that, as Survivors are norms but better, and Inspired are Norms, BUT WITH POWERS, I recommend either sticking everyone as norms or letting them choose between Survivors and Inspired. But if your group is happy with it go for it.

To go into a tad more detail, I have to say that there are some character concepts that just don't work with the Survivor template. When I played AFMBE I really wanted to play an Anglican Priest (let's not get this into a discussion on religion, I picked Anglicanism as it's what I'm most familiar with). This character would work rather well, low to average physical Attributes, high Intelligence and Willpower, and a focus on academic and metaphysical skills. However, the game was high powered, so I asked if I could play an Inspired and use some powers (I had a couple of miracles all mapped out). I was denied, and I literally had too many points of qualities for the concept, as ~90% of qualities in the book are combat related.


Also, when you mention success levels, do you simply mean every 2 overkill beyond the DC? Or do you mean regarding the rule of 10?

Okay, going by Witchcraft:
-Roll 1d10+skill+attribute+modifiers.
-If the result is 9 or higher, you succeed. For every 2 above 9 the success level is increase by 1, if this is important.
-A roll of 10 allows you to roll again, then if you get 6+ subtract five and increase the total. Successive 10s allow additional rerolls.
-If a 1 roll again, then if you get 2-4 add the result minus five (so (-3)-(-4)), and if the result is 1 the current roll is -5, and repeat this step.