Luck

[drengnikrafe]

I have heard in a couple of different places on this forum (which escape me right now) that, under some sort of circumstances, a DM would give their player a "luck roll" to try to pull off something. This thought intrigued me, but I would have no idea how it would function. At all.

Any thoughts?

[BizzaroStormy]

My guess be that 't it dice rolled t' determine things that in nay way involve th' character`s skill. Like th' spinnin' o' a roulette wheel.

[EndlessWrath]

to my understanding... a "luck roll" is just a reroll to a bad roll... or a bonus to your roll for "added luck", That's my two cents.

----
on a different idea of it... It could be that you failed your check...but role-played so well that the DM might check to see if your luck will tip the balance.

[Tsotha-lanti]

If it was in reference to, say, Call of Cthulhu, your Luck is POWx5%, and it's rolled to determine if you get lucky. It's seen in some other BRP games (which include RuneQuest, Elric!, and Stormbringer), too, and most of them use a similar roll even if they don't have the stat. If you have to be really lucky, a smaller multiple may be used.

[GrandDukeJerot]

In Complete Scoundrel from 3.5 (at least I think it's from there), there were a series of [Luck] subtype feats that gave you a number of re-rolls for specific things such as skill checks, armor saves, etc. There was even a class that was based purely off of attaining as many of these luck re-rolls as possible.

[BobVosh]

In a Mexican game called Factory there were luck rolls. You and the DM rolled a D100. Whoever is higher wins the luck roll.

It was funny, we asked for them about every 3 minutes.

http://www.jevrad.org/factory/index.php?nav=tablas

As a side note, playing a game that only one person speaks/reads the language makes that game even funnier.

[Comet]

Where I live we have some pretty interesting indie-RPGs. That's where I first got to meet the "luck die" as an official rule.
Though it was called the "s**t-hits-the-fan-die". I'm sure someone's done it before but I think the name is very apropriate. And hilarious

Other than that, we usually use somekind of luck roll in every game, system be damned. Sometimes it's "roll your karma" sometimes it's "roll your luck" sometimes it's "roll a die, any die". Brings a bit of randomness to the storytelling, which I as a DM favour very much.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Luck dice are in a couple of my IRL campaigns. It's a d20, don't get 13. It's so the DM can see not only whether the boop hits the fan, but who gets the worst of it. They're the one type of dice that doesn't screw me over.

[LibraryOgre]

Luck dice are in a couple of my IRL campaigns. It's a d20, don't get 13. It's so the DM can see not only whether the boop hits the fan, but who gets the worst of it. They're the one type of dice that doesn't screw me over.

Huh. Actually, I can see that as being a neat mechanic. Roll a spare d20 with every action. If you get a 13, something goes wrong, even if you succeed. If you get a 7 (or 8), something goes right, even if you fail. Everything else is zero effect... you're neither lucky nor unlucky.

For example, I might roll a critical with my axe attack, but the luck turns up 13... my axe gets stuck in the leg of my enemy; I either have to spend a turn freeing the axe, or go to a different weapon. If I'd rolled a 7 on the luck, I might have stunned my opponent, causing him to lose a turn, in addition to other effects.

On the other hand, I fail my roll to pick-pocket, but I get a 7 on the luck... the attempt was noticed, but they blame the wrong person. If my luck had come up 13, my hand might have gotten caught in his pocket, or maybe I tripped when I bumped him, so I start out prone.

[Chronos]

If it was in reference to, say, Call of Cthulhu, your Luck is POWx5%, and it's rolled to determine if you get lucky.

Huh, and that's in the base rules? D20 didn't introduce rules for getting lucky until BoEF.

[Inhuman Bot]

In Complete Scoundrel from 3.5 (at least I think it's from there), there were a series of [Luck] subtype feats that gave you a number of re-rolls for specific things such as skill checks, armor saves, etc. There was even a class that was based purely off of attaining as many of these luck re-rolls as possible.

Yes, the fortunes friend.
It shows a picutre of someone tripping as a crate falls to where he was just standing.
That sums up the feats nicely.

EDIT: Dare I ask what BoEF stands for?
Riight.. that book.... I tend to suppress the fact it exists from my memory...
And how's getting lucky humorus?
Nevermind >.>

[Grynning]

Isn't using dice in general fairly representative of "luck?" I mean, regardless of what bonuses you add, you're still using a fairly random method to determine success or failure, and, in d20 games at least, 20 is auto-success, and a 1 is often an auto-failure.

I just don't see any reason to add yet another random element to tabletop RP'ing, real-life luck with the dice plays enough of a factor already.

Edit: BoEF = Book of Erotic Fantasy. He was making a funny

[Hal]

EDIT: Dare I ask what BoEF stands for?

That would be the Book of Erotic Fantasy. There's a big thread about it. It's, um, not for family-friendly games.

[drengnikrafe]

EDIT: Dare I ask what BoEF stands for?

Please don't... (EDIT: Yet people said it anyway... Don't say I didn't warn you).

In other news, thank you guys for your input. I think I'll probably add something like this into my next campaign. The ideas are all brilliant. So, really, thank you a lot.

[Starbuck_II]

Wu Jen and Fatespinner have luck issues (meaning luck based mechanics). Wu Jen have that Spirit Guardian thing. And Fatespinner gets luck stuff.

[Prometheus]

I've heard some people use a HappyFace-SadFace coin/die to determine whether trying to apply whether something ambiguous works for you or against you. That way, no one calls DM favoritism.

Lightning Bolt a pool of Water->
Good luck: Zap everything in the pool
Neutral luck: Targets regularly
Bad luck: Dissipates uselessly or somehow harms you.

The NPC that you just bluffed out of all his gold in poker is actually the guy that you need to get help from->
Good luck: He trusts your wits and admires your determination
Neutral luck: Business is Business, Pleasure is pleasure
Bad luck: He is upset that you got his gold and is determined to take it out on you in a passive-aggressive manner.

A PC tries to make a jump check to jump on to a hook shaped object and is right on the line as to whether he makes it or not->
Good luck:you fall a little bit short but you grab the hook and with a low DC Climb check you can pull yourself up. Alternatively, you can still go with the Neutral luck if you'd rather not.
Neutral luck: You pass by the hook, causing it to swing but not much else
Bad luck: You already know what I'm going to say here. It's not pretty.

[Storm Bringer]

Huh, and that's in the base rules? D20 didn't introduce rules for getting lucky until BoEF.

CoC also has an 'idea' roll for those moments when the DM is reduced to telling those idiots on the far side of the screen the clue they were supposed t find (the 'they all failed thier spot checks' roll, in other words')

edit: I would say it's a sign of my clean mindedness that i had posted thing and only just got the joke.

But I'm far too dirty minded to claim that. I'm just being slow tonight............

[Starbuck_II]

I've heard some people use a HappyFace-SadFace coin/die to determine whether trying to apply whether something ambiguous works for you or against you. That way, no one calls DM favoritism.

Good luck: Zap everything in the pool
Neutral luck: Targets regularly
Bad luck: Dissipates uselessly or somehow harms you.

How do you get Nuetral with a coin? Land on its side?

[drengnikrafe]

How do you get Nuetral with a coin? Land on its side?

Actually, one side is bad luck, one side is neutral luck. The side of the coin is for good luck.

I would probably guess you could opt not to flip for luck, and that would be normal luck.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Huh. Actually, I can see that as being a neat mechanic. Roll a spare d20 with every action. If you get a 13, something goes wrong, even if you succeed. If you get a 7 (or 8), something goes right, even if you fail. Everything else is zero effect... you're neither lucky nor unlucky.

No, though that would be interesting. It's more for when the DM isn't sure what in the 9 hells would happen after whatever the party did. If no one gets 13, you all escape consequences, but if someone gets 13, then the guard/demons/kraken/now impotent deity manages to track them down. Roll initiative.

[Lycan 01]

Luck Rolls are the last resort of my CoC players. When I'm feeling nice, I let them make luck rolls. They serve a lot of purposes, and while success can save them from pain, misfortune, or even death... a failure can be the worst thing ever.

A few examples...

-Should a Dodge roll fail, a Luck roll can help them avoid tripping, or help them stumble out of the way of the attack if they do well enough.

-Should a player get shot (almost always fatal), a Luck roll reduces the injury to a Flesh Wound, and reduces the damage done by half.



Its sad when they forget Luck rolls. Even sadder when they forget DODGE rolls. >__<



EDIT: Oh, one guy tried a Luck roll to avoid a particularly brutal death. He failed. See my Epic PC Death's thread for further details...

[LibraryOgre]

No, though that would be interesting. It's more for when the DM isn't sure what in the 9 hells would happen after whatever the party did. If no one gets 13, you all escape consequences, but if someone gets 13, then the guard/demons/kraken/now impotent deity manages to track them down. Roll initiative.

Good idea, as well... both, I think, would work just fine.

What happens in something like this if no one rolls a 13, but someone rolls a 7? Or one person gets a 13 and another gets a 7?

[Lycan 01]

Good idea, as well... both, I think, would work just fine.

What happens in something like this if no one rolls a 13, but someone rolls a 7? Or one person gets a 13 and another gets a 7?

Hm... I like this mechanic.


From now one in my CoC games, a 13 on a Luck roll is equivalent to a 100 and/or massive failure. Likewise, a 7 is the best possible thing - better than a 1, in fact.


If two people in a group roll a 7 and a 13, have opposite things happen to them. The guy with a 7 might find a 10 dollar bill on the ground or something, while the guy with the 13 might suddenly get an upset stomach. And if they're in battle or something, the guy with a 7 spots the enemies weakness, and his next hit is a critical or something, while the guy with the 13 is now the enemy's main target and maybe trips or something so he loses his next turn.