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Old 09-05-2020, 01:44 PM   #1
Dr. Beckenstein
 
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Default How likely is that?

So, I was running a nice round of Gurps Infinite Worlds today, wherein the heroes had to stop a group of criminals from kidnapping an alternative Marilyn Monroe.

The PC encountered a group of four (4) kidnappers, and the PC (armed with electro lasers) were ready to hand out some justice. Violence started.

And out of a group of four (4) NPC, three (3) got critical misses.

One stumbled and fell on his face, so a PC could take him out with an injector filled with eraser.

The second NPC dropped his weapon and was shot by another PC when he tried to pick it up.

The third one managed to shoot himself into his own leg with an electro laser, knocking himself out instantly.

Has anybody out there experienced something like this?



PS: The last NPC was lucky. He was just shot after he missed a PC, so he can face his time in jail with dignity.
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Old 09-06-2020, 11:37 AM   #2
Mark Skarr
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Beckenstein View Post
Has anybody out there experienced something like this?
Oh, mercy, yes.

There was the session where I had eleven critical failures.

Todd Diallo, a gunslinger, in my Infinite Weirdos, season one, never, successfully, fast-drew his guns. The lowest thing he ever rolled on fast-draw was a 17.

James Ryder/Charlemagne, likewise, until a specific event, never rolled less than a 17 for a Research roll (then he rolled a 3 and the party thought it was a miracle).

There was the game where an ambushing team of enemies, in a row, critically failed their PER checks to see where the teleporter went (behind them), then critically failed their DX and HT rolls when being pushed off the catwalk where they were trying to ambush the party from.
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Old 09-06-2020, 11:59 PM   #3
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Default Re: How likely is that?

I had a comical bout of critical failures, once. First, a roll for battlefield awareness. I charged friendlies. Then a riding roll to stay on my horse. The friendlies, assuming I was an enemy, pulled me out of the saddle more or less head first. Then an acrobatics roll to reduce fall damage. I broke my everything.
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Old 09-07-2020, 09:45 AM   #4
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Closest I've had was in a computer-based D&D game back in the day, running Pool of Radiance on my C-64.

The party found a boat. We took the boat. It took us to the island offshore - which, of course, featured a large temple of Bane, which I didn't realize at the time. Found the back door first, entered that, and went into the sanctuary, where about 300 orcs were at worship. They charged.

The third-level characters fought valiantly, but were being worn down. Finally, everyone was down and bleeding, with only a few rounds left to live, except the fighter, swinging his battleaxe and making save after save. This went on for some time, as MTV played in the background (this was so long ago, they still played music videos!). Finally, as Tom Petty was really hitting the chorus of "Won't Back Down", the orcs rolled a mass morale save - and failed.

Over 290 orcs turned and fled from this single strange human that simply would. not. die. He killed a couple with attacks of opportunity as they turned, then bandaged his companions so they could all survive to escape. I would have loved if this had happened in tabletop, because I would have demanded that the DM roleplay the orcs explaining themselves to the High Priest.
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Old 09-07-2020, 10:45 AM   #5
Armin
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Default Re: How likely is that?

GURPS fantasy game. Big battle between invaders and a small kingdom for which the PCs were helping the defense forces.

GM decides to use the Battle system. I object, because it reduces survival for my PC to a single roll, and I hate that. Logically, the GM insists on it given the large number of participants on each side. We all calculate our Survival and Glory 'skills', all of which are decent.

Everyone else rolls very well.

I roll two 18s.

The GM allows me to buy a luck 'reroll' on the Survival roll for 5 CP (IIRC). I do so.

I roll 18.

My character dies, having made a terrible showing of himself. Thanks, GURPS.
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Old 09-07-2020, 12:17 PM   #6
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Default Re: How likely is that?

I think we have all been there at one point of another. You just get those rounds, or even entire sessions, where nothing goes right and every bad character generation decision you make comes back to haunt you.

Years ago I was in a session where I don't think the players made more than three or four successful rolls, between five of us!

In the course of the session we were persuaded to rush off into the night, slightly drunk and with no preparation (several sets of failed perception and critically failed common sense) and split the party (failed common sense).

I can't tell you precisely how two of the frontline fighters died other than it involved two failed perception checks, each.

The other group however got themselves lost (critically failed navigation) and proceeded to get caught up trying to rescue an random NPC from a single zombie during which we:

Were all unhorsed in the first round of combat- failed attempt at mounted combat and failed riding check after a critical failure spooked the horse.

Lost our Wizard to a bad landing- critically failed acrobatics trying to land on her feet after falling from the horse.

Accidentally shot and killed the NPC- critically failed pistol shot.

Saw our last frontline fighting type taken out by a lucky shot- critical fail and critical success for the zombie.

Things actually improved slightly after that point but the last character (as it happened, mine) while she got a few hits in couldn't either put the zombie down or flee and was downed after another couple of rounds.

End result, my first TPK as a player.

Last edited by Frost; 09-15-2020 at 03:29 AM.
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Old 09-07-2020, 07:43 PM   #7
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Running Dungeon Fantasy. The players are inside a Giant Ant nest, trying to find the magical crystals that allowed the ants to grow so large. There are ant predators hidden inside abandoned ant tunnels.

The wizard gets bitten by a Giant Spider. Poison does recurring damage, very small (I think 1 hp), but it has 30 intervals of 1 second. The wizard fails 30 HT-6 rolls (I think he had a 6- on 3d6, so hard, but not nearly impossible).

We didn't have time for Neutralize Poison, and didn't know Instant Neutralize poison, so they kept healing him while the poison burned through his system.

As a GM, I figured it would be a hard poison to resist, but that people would eventually make the save before they failed too many times, given the number of opportunities. Nope. 30 failed HT rolls in a row.

Every character the player plays is now super-alert about spiders, in every game system.
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Old 09-08-2020, 05:44 PM   #8
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Nearest I got was during a game of Runequest. My noobie PC got charged by a troll wielding a mace. It swung, and got a critical failure. Failure table gave a blow to self. Random hit location; head. Rolled, maximum damage.

A dead troll came to rest at my PC's feet.
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Old 09-14-2020, 11:14 AM   #9
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Beckenstein View Post
And out of a group of four (4) NPC, three (3) got critical misses.
Assuming by critical miss, you mean 17+, that's 4/216, or 1/54. 3 doing so are 1/(54³) or 1/157464 6.3e-6 or 0.0000063 or 0.00063%

On the other hand, if you mean 16+, that's (5³)/(108³) = 9.92e-5, or about 1 in 10,000.

I've had far more extreme runs. 6d20, only one not being a nat 20, in a sequence ending a TTNE campaign:
On a fuel skimming run...
Failed pilot
Failed pilot again
Failed Engineering (19 vs an 18) to repair the damage from the pilot roll
Failed Engineering again to try again
Failed another piloting to at least not hit crush depth
Failed another engineering
craft hit crush depth.
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Old 10-11-2020, 11:34 AM   #10
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Default Re: How likely is that?

Years ago i was running Warhammer and it came to a fight between the party and some NPCs both low level.

I think for nearly an hour both sides fumbled in the most hilarious ways and then the party killed them with critical one hit instant death it was like slaughterhouse


And then years later TDE we needed to go from ship to boat 2 hours later ,the party was in the boat falling from the ship in the sea, jumping to rescue the drowning companions and i wonder no player died from laughing
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