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Old 05-15-2014, 01:06 AM   #1
Otaku
 
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Default Looking For Less Frequent Luck

The title is hopefully straightforward, and I'll try to keep this first post short and sweet, at least by my standards (...my posts tend to be very long >.>).

So, I am interested in both RAW and home brewed approaches to altering the Luck Advantage found on p. B66. Basic Set: Characters obviously has a couple Limitations right there in back and white to help bring the cost down, but it isn't the right fit for me as a player or as a GM. I want Luck, just worth less points in exchange for being accessible a little less often.

Right now, the most "obvious" thing is to just reduce how often it can be used. I searched the message board quick and only noticed one thread really discussing it but it was nearly six months old with all of 9 posts. The thread is here for reference:I like the basic ideas of the opening post, just wondering if the numbers are about right. Here is what I was leaning towards:
Moderate Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every two hours.
Cost: 10 Points
Minor Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every four hours.
Cost: 5 points
Perk Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every eight hours or per session (GM's discretion).
Cost 1 point
Moderate Luck really is for that player that just needs to be roughly half as Lucky, especially to stick to a budget (and yes, I am assuming we are trying to stick to a budget as I know some groups don't worry about such things). Minor Luck and Perk Luck are nice because they seem so common in fiction; the character(s) are way luckier than they ought to be (as in, more than the average person) but it is really only obvious to someone paying attention to their life long term... or at least these all seem that way in theory; I just considered what RAW I knew and what "seemed" balanced on paper.

If these are horribly off, let me know. I am assuming that recharge times are being tracked from session to session if abuse becomes an issue... but with such a long recharge time this almost seems akin to insurance.
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :)

Last edited by Otaku; 05-15-2014 at 01:22 AM.
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Old 05-15-2014, 02:53 AM   #2
The Benj
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

I'd okay 5 points for once a session, but probably not others.
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Old 05-15-2014, 06:49 AM   #3
Gold & Appel Inc
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

Compare with the RAW: Luck (1 / Game Day -40%) or Luck (1 / RL Day -40%) [9].
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Old 05-15-2014, 06:52 AM   #4
aesir23
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

Quote:
Originally Posted by Otaku View Post
Moderate Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every two hours.
Cost: 10 Points
Minor Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every four hours.
Cost: 5 points
Perk Luck: Same as Regular Luck, but usable once every eight hours or per session (GM's discretion).
Cost 1 point
Few enough games last long enough for there to be any difference between Minor Luck and Perk Luck. Unless you routinely have 8 or 12 hour sessions (and I know of no one who does), they both amount to Once Per Session.

However, I think 5 points for once per session is a nice addition to the game.
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Old 05-15-2014, 06:54 AM   #5
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

Quote:
Originally Posted by aesir23 View Post
Unless you routinely have 8 or 12 hour sessions (and I know of no one who does)
Our games generally last about 6-8 hours, but that includes a lot of geek talk, eating, etc. GM's call on whether that counts for Luck renewal.
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Old 05-15-2014, 07:43 AM   #6
The Benj
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Compare with the RAW: Luck (1 / Game Day -40%) or Luck (1 / RL Day -40%) [9].
Game Time conversion is not 1:1, an in-game day is a realtime hour, an in-game week a session. I don't think you can effectively double up Limitations by adding Limited Use on Luck.
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Old 05-15-2014, 10:13 AM   #7
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

5 points for once per session is fine as long as you don't let limitations, otherwise, it becomes a cheap way to buy skills used rarely.
For example:
Player:Hey, I have armorer 12, but I'll increase to 14 for 8 points.
Another player: Don't be silly, just buy luck(only for armoury) for 3 points, and since you only roll once or twice per session, the effects will be almost the same.
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Old 05-15-2014, 11:06 AM   #8
Otaku
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

I probably started a post a bit late for me to do it well (not that I haven't made bad ones while well rested XD) so I'd like to re-emphasize some points:
  • I want most players taking some form of Luck, so low prices are only a problem when insanely abusive.
  • With longer recharge times, said times would be kept track of session to session as needed.

With the official versions of Luck in the Base Set, frequency often enough that unless a player was intentionally trying to abuse the system (trying to control when the game ended to sneak in an extra use of Luck), not much of a reason to track its usage exactly. If the GM knows that his players will never hit an appropriate interval and thus the Advantage will always behave a more expensive version of Luck, the GM needs to forbid it as inappropriate for the campaign.

5 points for once per session... I just don't know if it is worth it for single use (per session) Luck. Maybe it absolutely is, so those that have played using it please let me know! XD Maximum use is different from probable use; even if you're almost never going to work in as many uses as one every other hour or once every four hours suggests, its nice to know you might. Since I was in a kind of generous mood, I was even wondering if Minor Luck should be once every three hours and the Perk version a flat once-per-session (emphasizing the GM shouldn't permit it if sessions are overly short and that is an issue).

gilbertocarlos brings up a pretty important point; I am designing this looking at it as both a player and a GM. Either one has to police things (which in GURPS, when don't you?) to prevent creative abuses... or one has to be okay with said abuses. If a player wants to buy Luck so they aren't vulnerable to something that is usually a background skill instead of buying said Skill up, that seems inline with you my original purpose... but again anyone that has played with rules such as these, please let me know: your input may help me craft a useful house rule or avoid a bad mistake.
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :)

Last edited by Otaku; 05-15-2014 at 11:11 AM. Reason: Messy post; cleaning it up. Sorry.
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Old 05-15-2014, 11:18 AM   #9
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

If Perk Luck were available, I can't imagine not buying it. Every player will have it. If that's what you want anyway, just give it to them for free and don't bother charging the one token point for it.
Five points for once-per-session Luck feels about right. Compare with Destiny 1 (from Monster Hunters), which gives once-per-session success (but not critical success) and costs 5 points.
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Old 05-15-2014, 11:29 AM   #10
Otaku
 
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Default Re: Looking For Less Frequent Luck

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gold & Appel Inc View Post
Compare with the RAW: Luck (1 / Game Day -40%) or Luck (1 / RL Day -40%) [9].
Is that RAW or extrapolated rulings?

I believe I've seen official posts indicating you can change the "Play Session" time restrictions for Luck into "In Game" time as a 0% modifier, but if we did do that then shouldn't we view Luck as already having "Takes Recharge (One Hour, -30%) on it... which would make Luck you could use all the time work out as about a 22 point Advantage? Note: If I actually did the math correctly, even I am not pushing for something like that... at least at that price. ;-)

f I did take Luck and Modified it with Limited Use rules, it would stack on top of the Recharge times: I could take Extraordinary Luck (Limited Use: 10 Times Per Session, -10%) for a two point discount that only becomes relevant if we play for more than five hours and I use my Luck like clockwork every 30 minutes.

Gnome: You did state an excellent point I think I wasn't getting that the others were trying to make; if I want to allow a single "best of three" rolls/up to two re-rolls per turn, that might as well be a house rule. Can you think of something different that would be worth it as a "Perk" version of Luck? Like a +1 bonus available once per session and can be retroactively applied to your last roll, and doesn't count towards a critical success?
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My GURPS Fourth Edition library consists of Basic Set: Characters, Basic Set: Campaigns, Martial Arts, Powers, Powers: Enhanced Senses, Power-Ups 1: Imbuements, Power-Ups 2: Perks, Power-Ups 3: Talents, Power-Ups 4: Enhancements, Power-Ups 6: Quirks, Power-Ups 8: Limitations, Powers, Social Engineering, Supers, Template Toolkit 1: Characters, Template Toolkit 2: Races, one issue of Pyramid (3/83) a.k.a. Alternate GURPS IV, GURPS Classic Rogues, and GURPS Classic Warriors. Most of which was provided through the generosity of others. Thanks! :)

Last edited by Otaku; 05-15-2014 at 11:33 AM.
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