Heretical idea - D20 rolls

[JLV]

Well, all this may be highly heretical, but I will confess that I've always had percentile dice with me when GM-ing TFT. Sometimes it's just tremendously easier as a GM to assign a percentage chance of something happening and then roll for it using percentile dice instead of rolling 3d6 and trying to remember what the percentages of any result coming up are. (Though I have a cheat sheet for that too; mostly for when I'm trying to figure out that sort of thing while designing a dungeon or adventure...)

[Oneiros]

Originally Posted by Skarg

Yes, it's a good suggestion, and does address that part of my criticism well. I prefer your version of it because it works in a nice effect of adjDX instead of leaving it entirely the same chance for everyone. I use that sort of mechanic a lot in my house rules.

Yeah, in the d20 system, the confirmation roll was nice in that it favored higher skill, as one would expect. They removed it in the current edition, trading off play speed for verisimilitude.

You could combine the two: make a simple "pass/fail" confirmation roll against adjDx, then roll the d6 to determine results if the crit/fumble is confirmed. That would remove having to do math to determine degree of success. With that approach, I'd probably remove the "nothing happens" result on the d6, so it'd be 1-4: double damage/drop weapon, 5-6: triple damage/break weapon.

[hcobb]

So for a 4d roll you roll a D25?

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by JLV

Well, all this may be highly heretical, but I will confess that I've always had percentile dice with me when GM-ing TFT. Sometimes it's just tremendously easier as a GM to assign a percentage chance of something happening and then roll for it using percentile dice instead of rolling 3d6 and trying to remember what the percentages of any result coming up are. (Though I have a cheat sheet for that too; mostly for when I'm trying to figure out that sort of thing while designing a dungeon or adventure...)

I don't see that as heretical at all. You're just using it for assessing odds you assess as the GM, without reference to TFT stats. I use poly dice for that sort of thing, too, sometimes.

[Skarg]

Originally Posted by Oneiros

Yeah, in the d20 system, the confirmation roll was nice in that it favored higher skill, as one would expect. They removed it in the current edition, trading off play speed for verisimilitude.

You could combine the two: make a simple "pass/fail" confirmation roll against adjDx, then roll the d6 to determine results if the crit/fumble is confirmed. That would remove having to do math to determine degree of success. With that approach, I'd probably remove the "nothing happens" result on the d6, so it'd be 1-4: double damage/drop weapon, 5-6: triple damage/break weapon.

Sure, such things can work well, but just study the actual odds you're setting up.

Personally I don't have any problem doing minor math or rolling more than one die or doing confirmation rolls. I make things fast by having played for decades, doing math quickly, and requiring players to say what their figure does when their turn comes up, and handling a lot of the mechanics myself and translating things into English.

Again, though, even with confirmation for crits, if you apply d20 for hit/miss determination to TFT stats, you end up with adjDX 15 missing 25% of the time, and adjDX 5 hitting 25% of the time, which to me blurs and undermines the meanings of those ability levels, and interferes with the value of various DX modifiers etc... IOW IMO it messes up the well-chosen values in the game design.

[warhorse11h]

Three Heretical Variants by Steve Jackson, "Solution: Don’t go there, either."

[JLV]

Originally Posted by warhorse11h

Three Heretical Variants by Steve Jackson, "Solution: Don’t go there, either."

Good point! ;-)

[flankspeed]

I can't resist throwing ideas into the ring when House Rules are discussed. I will toss out some ideas based on previous posts I've made.


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In the post

Practical Variants of Steve’s Heretical Variants
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=159273

I suggested the following:


D20 ROLLS

Roll a d20 to hit instead of 3d6. The d20 yields the following percent chances of rolling a target number or less.

Percent Chance of Rolling a Target Number or Less on d20:
1 = 5%
2 = 10%
3 = 15%
4 = 20%
5 = 25%
6 = 30%
7 = 35%
8 = 40%
9 = 45%
10 = 50%
11 = 55%
12 = 60%
13 = 65%
14 = 70%
15 = 75%
16 = 80%
17 = 85%
18 = 90%
19 = 95%
20 = 100%

When a 1 is rolled on the d20, roll a d6:
1-3 = Automatic Hit / Success
4-5 = Double Damage or Unusual Success
6 = Triple Damage or Extreme Success

When a 20 is rolled on the d20, roll a d6:
1-3 = Automatic Miss / Failure
4-5 = Dropped Weapon or Unusual Failure
6 = Broken Weapon or Extreme Failure

When the rules call for a 1d6 roll versus an attribute, that is considered an automatic success, but — at the GM’s discretion — a d6 may be rolled and the result treated as if a 1 were rolled on the d20 (1-3 = Success, 4-5 = Double, 6 = Triple).

When a 2d6 roll is called for, roll a d20 and an extra d6. Subtract the number rolled on the d6 from the d20 number and use that for the result, but no matter what is rolled on the extra d6, only on a natural 1 on the d20 would a check be made for double or triple damage.

When a 4d6 roll is called for, roll a d20 and an extra d6. Add the number rolled on the d6 to the d20 number and use that for the result, but no matter what is rolled on the extra d6, only on a natural 20 on the d20 would a check be made for dropped or broken weapons.

When a 5d6 roll is called for, roll a d20 and an extra 2d6. Add the number rolled on the 2d6 to the d20 number and use that for the result, but no matter what is rolled on the extra 2d6, only on a natural 20 on the d20 would a check be made for dropped or broken weapons.

The pattern for these rolls is shown below, but only check for double or triple damage on a natural 1 on the d20, and for dropped or broken weapons on a natural 20 on the d20.

1d6 = Automatic Success (GM may allow 1d6 roll for extra damage)
2d6 = d20 - 1d6
3d6 = d20
4d6 = d20 + 1d6
5d6 = d20 + 2d6
6d6 = d20 + 3d6
7d6 = d20 + 4d6
8d6 = d20 + 5d6
9d6 = d20 + 6d6
10d6 = d20 + 7d6
Etc.


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In the post

Make Attacker AND Defender Part of Every Roll Without Dodge/Block/Parry
http://forums.sjgames.com/showthread.php?t=159384

I offered a variant on rolling a d20 by suggesting a roll of 2d10s (such as different colored percentile dice), but with the stipulation that one die is read as 0-9 and the other is read as 1-10. The total of these two dice would then be 1-19, with the average of the resulting bell curve being 10.

Treat 1 as Triple Damage, 2 as Double Damage, 3 as an Automatic Hit, 17 as an Automatic Miss, 18 as a Dropped Weapon, and 19 as a Broken Weapon. If rolls of more or less than the standard 3d6 are required, then refer to the list above in the d20 section (for example, 4d = 2d10 + 1d6).

Keep in mind that only the total of the 2d10 determines when special success or failure happens. No matter what is rolled on the extra d6, only the total of 0-9 plus 1-10 is referred to when checking for a result of 1, 2, 3, 17, 18, or 19.