DFRPG vs DF 1-19

[Plane]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Slams and Spells are the only things I can think of where the rules have been outright changed.

Oh and Wealth. And armor is designed using the rules from Low-Tech, but without any of the 'under the hood'.

Will have to take a closer look at the slams/spells, had just assumed that was left alone.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Plane

Will have to take a closer look at the slams/spells, had just assumed that was left alone.

Slam no longer relies on Mass, just ST; individual spells have been rewritten to conform to DFRPG.

[lachimba]

Originally Posted by Gnaskar

The short version: DF1-19 has more stuff in them, but DFRPG is easier for new players.

And experienced players or GMs for that matter.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by lachimba

And experienced players or GMs for that matter.

Eh... I find the small differences catch experienced Players and GMs by surprise. Also the clamor for "add in this option and that option" gets loud fast.

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Eh... I find the small differences catch experienced Players and GMs by surprise. Also the clamor for "add in this option and that option" gets loud fast.

Yeah. This is why I wish we had a comprehensive list of changes.

Speaking of, how meaningful a change is removing Immunity/Resistant to Metabolic Hazards? Was it just meant to reflect the fact that DFRPG doesn't have rules for altitude sickness or the bends? I'd been under the impression that Immunity to Metabolic Hazards granted immunity to most things that allow an HT roll, including spells, but I might be wrong.

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Speaking of, how meaningful a change is removing Immunity/Resistant to Metabolic Hazards?

Not much. What exactly are Half-Orcs and Martial Artists going to encounter in DFRPG that aren't covered under Disease or Poison?

I'd been under the impression that Immunity to Metabolic Hazards granted immunity to most things that allow an HT roll, including spells, but I might be wrong.

Not quite. Aren't Immune to Stunning now then are they? Otherwise, as above, what are they Immune to that Disease or Poison doesn't adequately cover and is more readily understood?

[Michael Thayne]

Originally Posted by evileeyore

Not much. What exactly are Half-Orcs and Martial Artists going to encounter in DFRPG that aren't covered under Disease or Poison?

Not quite. Aren't Immune to Stunning now then are they? Otherwise, as above, what are they Immune to that Disease or Poison doesn't adequately cover and is more readily understood?

Right. Basic Set defines "metabolic hazards" as "all threats that affect only the living". So stunning isn't covered. Oddly, I think the Body Control college is covered, because those spells do explicitly only affect the living?

[evileeyore]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

Oddly, I think the Body Control college is covered, because those spells do explicitly only affect the living?

Only if it's a 'metabolic hazard'. So...

Death Touch, Nauseate, Sickness, and Retch clearly. Maybe Wither Limb?

[Michael Thayne]

Mostly, I really like the rules changes in DFRPG. There's one I'm not a fan of though: while having temperature ranges that were exact to within a degree Fahrenheit was odd, the changes to Temperature Tolerance now mean it never grants an outright exemption from HT rolls for heat. You could fix that, though, by ruling that HT rolls for heat/cold are waived if you have enough levels of Temperature Tolerance to grant a net bonus to the roll.

[Bruno]

Originally Posted by Michael Thayne

while having temperature ranges that were exact to within a degree Fahrenheit was odd

Thats a side effect of using actual real-world units as the input to your function (and whole number integers as the output) - you have to define a breakpoint. They could have rounded up to 5 degrees or 10 degrees breakpoints, but that adds an extra step to the calculations.

The DFRPG approach dodges that particular problem by disengaging from actual real world units - I have mixed feelings. The DFRPG rule is definitely more playable at the table though, and I think your suggestion to waive it once TT brings the effective roll high enough is a good idea, although I'd go for "when your modified target number is 16 or higher", because it's not really worth the effort rolling at that point.