10-02-2018, 11:25 AM | #1 |
Join Date: May 2015
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Pentagram strength?
So when something tries to break through a pentagram for the first time, a 3-die roll is called for to see if the pentagram holds, against the drawer's IQ.
For an enchanted Permanent Pentagram, the 3 dice vs. IQ of the enchanter is used. Cool, right? It matters who drew it, so you want Fantasmo the best pentagram drawer... But, er, Pentagram is an IQ 15 spell, and a 16+ is an automatic failure on 3 dice. (So effectively, it's always a 3 dice vs 15 roll for any pentagram, no?) So if we like the idea of different-strength pentagrams, how can this best be salvaged? |
10-02-2018, 11:49 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
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Re: Pentagram strength?
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10-02-2018, 12:02 PM | #3 | |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Pentagram strength?
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But it doesn't seem to me to have anything to do with my question, which is about it not mattering what IQ the caster is since they need IQ 15+ to learn the spell, and a roll of 16+ is an auto-failure, and what can best be done to preserve the interesting intent that pentagrams are stronger when cast by higher-IQ wizards? Assuming Aid counts for that and it doesn't need to be your actual IQ: GM: Ok, you cast +10 IQ in Aid spells to raise your IQ from 18 to 28. (later) GM: Something tries to break your pentagram - roll 3 versus your aided IQ of 28. Player: I rolled a 16. GM: Hmm, automatic failure ... That would only help if there were a contest involved, but there isn't. Perhaps somehow if a Contest could be worked into the Pentagram rules, that would help. |
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10-02-2018, 12:08 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Hillsboro, Oregon, USA
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Re: Pentagram strength?
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So, if the wizard's IQ is Aided to, say, 40 when the Permanent Pentagram IQ roll is made, and they use Lesser Wish to set that roll to 3, they've got a permanent 37 points of margin. Edit: Never mind, I misread that. Still, that's how I'd do it. Anyway, you record the wizard's IQ at the time the Permanent Pentagram is enchanted (in this example, 40). You're right in that 16+ auto-fails and 18 crit-fails are still possible. Magic is a dangerous profession!
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10-02-2018, 12:42 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Aerlith
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Re: Pentagram strength?
I personally think the auto-success/fail rolls cover a bit too much of the curve. I prefer to just make 3 a critical success with bonus results, and 18 a critical failure with terrible results. But within the standard rules I'm not sure how you step up the power of pentagrams, unless you allow higher levels to be multi-layered and require a succession of rolls to break through.
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10-02-2018, 01:07 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: May 2015
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Re: Pentagram strength?
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i.e. If something with a stat of 16+ rolls a 16-18, roll again against stat -10 to see if the auto-fail result actually applies or not. A success on the -10 roll could either be a success in all cases, or lower the auto-fail result as if the original roll were one lower. |
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10-02-2018, 01:19 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Aerlith
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Re: Pentagram strength?
Right, that's a pretty good solution that keeps higher stats from being irrelevant in such cases.
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10-02-2018, 04:03 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Plymouth, UK.
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Re: Pentagram strength?
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