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Old 07-20-2020, 07:30 AM   #1
hcobb
 
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Default Diving into TFT's bell curve

In d20 RPGs a +1 (to hit) sword will usually increase the odds of hitting by 5%. This is because a fair d20 has an equal chance of rolling any number so there is a 5% chance it will roll "one off" of your unboosted chance to hit.

TFT however rolls several dice at once to determine a hit. This means that for most cases a one-point shift changes the odds by around 10% (this also applies for even four or five die rolls, see: https://www.hcobb.com/tft/TFT_Saving...rcentages.html )

Also an average TFT character or monster will have far fewer "hit points" than in d20 games. Therefore a +1 to damage is at least twice as potent in TFT than under d20.

The net result is a wash because a +1 weapon in d20 will boost both the chance to hit and the damage done while a TFT bonus applies to only one of these. Choosing between +1 DX and +1 damage depends strongly on your adjDX for your usual target. If your adjDX is below 11 then favor DX boosts and if at 11 or above then favor damage bonus.

If you GM allows the purchase of fine edged or well balanced weapons (or enchanted weapons) then these are well worth the starting cash. The $800 spent on a very fine Rapier can help you out a lot more than three healing potions.
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Old 07-20-2020, 08:52 AM   #2
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

Since we're speaking about magic, it would be nice to have a sword that you could switch between +1 DX and +1 damage.
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Old 07-20-2020, 09:38 AM   #3
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

Note that Weapons Expertise has options to trade off improved chances to hit vs doing more damage, which is yet another reason that DX rules over ST.
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Old 07-21-2020, 04:08 PM   #4
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

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Originally Posted by hcobb View Post
In d20 RPGs a +1 (to hit) sword will usually
If you GM allows the purchase of fine edged or well balanced weapons (or enchanted weapons) then these are well worth the starting cash. The $800 spent on a very fine Rapier can help you out a lot more than three healing potions.
The problem is that +1DX is only worth it on big weapons when the base damage is very high already. If +1DX makes you 10% more likely to hit and you already had a 50% chance to hit, you increase your average damage by 20%.

But a +2 damage for a weapon that do on average 5 hit (broad sword versus leather) is a 40% average damage increase. You need a weapon that do 10 hits after armor before a +1DX becomes better, and that means very heavy weapons, usually already enchanted or boosted in other ways. And at that power level armor will most likely not be leather, so it is not always possible to reach that break even point where +1DX is actually better than more damage. And for lighter weapons you will never reach it.

But then again +1DX for a balanced weapon can be used to counter a negative adjDX from armor. And +1 armor might actually be more important depending on your already existing armor than +2 damage. But most of the time, it is 1 for 1, so there should be +2dmg or +2DX, or just a simple choice between +1dmg or +1DX or both for a higher price.
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Old 07-21-2020, 04:18 PM   #5
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Note that Weapons Expertise has options to trade off improved chances to hit vs doing more damage, which is yet another reason that DX rules over ST.
Yes this is an option, but it is still weak. -5DX for 3.5dmg i almost never worth it considering that you could aim for the head with -6DX.

-4DX at mastery is still expensive but since you get 5.5dmg it is a huge difference, and -3DX for 5.5 is almost a no brainer (since fencing weapons are light weapons so damage is more important) if you can keep your adjDX above 10 or so.

I think Shrewed should have been slightly better at expertise level and slight worse at Fencing mastery level.

I would rather have seen an extra die for expertise at the cost of -4DX, and that die could have been used for extra damage OR 4/dx for the attacker (5 with defending action).
And mastery gave BOTH for a -5DX. Or something like it.

The current system is a little clunky and not always worth it. And going defensive is boring, you cant attack at all and the opponents will miss more or less automatically.
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Old 07-21-2020, 05:03 PM   #6
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

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And going defensive is boring, you cant attack at all and the opponents will miss more or less automatically.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with Master Fencer or UC V is a wee goblin lass with Dagger Mastery and Staff-V.

Or a crossbow bolt. Crossbows are rather nice to have things. Every wizard who isn't a total ST dumper ought to have one.
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Old 07-21-2020, 10:52 PM   #7
Axly Suregrip
 
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Or a crossbow bolt. Crossbows are rather nice to have things. Every wizard who isn't a total ST dumper ought to have one.
Nice! I have not thought of this. High DX wizards with a Heavy Crossbow and a windlass! Cost only 3 IQ to know how to use it and would be better than most missile spells for a beginning wizard. Start every fight with one shot and drop it.

The downside is every crossbow has steel components. You would need to have a "silver crossbow"... start saving now! Is this even allowed?
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Old 07-22-2020, 07:43 AM   #8
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

A steel crossbow hampers your spellcasting with iron and by taking up at least one hand while carrying it. (Two when ready to fire.)

My Dark Sniper puts down the crossbow, bolts, backpack, and crowbar before casting Dark Vision (with both hands).
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Old 07-22-2020, 12:07 PM   #9
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Assuming DA bonuses might outweigh DX bonuses, and since generally fewer dice are rolled in damage than in attacking, in order to equalize the two somewhat without penalizing overmuch, and simultaneously flatten the stepwise curve, this adaptation could be used. An item having an odd bonus number only affects the outcome of a dice roll that includes at least one die of an odd value result; similarly for even bonus numbers. And when not effective, the bonus number of the item will increment until it makes good or the particular encounter ends.
For example, a Hatchet of DX +1 would only improve its wielder's adjDX if any odd dice occurred in the hit roll, regardless of whether a hit is thus scored or not, and otherwise would be bumped up to a DX +2 item for the next hit roll, then requiring any even die rolled to be operative, and so on until either it affects a hit roll or the encounter ends, when the Hatchet reverts to its +1 bonus.
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Old 07-27-2020, 12:35 PM   #10
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Default Re: Diving into TFT's bell curve

I know nothing about TFT's dice system, and googling and checking the forums don't seem to turn up any information. Can someone kindly, in a sentence or two, explain how to roll in TFT?
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