04-13-2011, 05:57 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Critical Failures of Fright Checks
What happens when a critical failure occurs during roll vs. will in a fright check? I cant find any explanation in the Basic rules, are there really no special effects like for example a bonus on the fright check table?
If there is no official statement, how do you (or how would you) houserule that? regards, Phex Last edited by Phex; 04-14-2011 at 03:32 PM. |
04-13-2011, 06:10 AM | #2 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Oregon
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
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04-13-2011, 06:15 AM | #3 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
It looks like "GM's call." By default, I'd just roll the effect and apply the penalties unmercifully, but there are plenty of things that could be apropriate: roll 2 or 3 times and take the worst would be a possibility. However, you don't want the player to feel you're deliberately persecuting his character.
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04-14-2011, 01:57 AM | #4 |
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Twin Cities, Minnesota
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
I assume that Fright Check has its own special result mechanic and doesn't have a normal critical effect and just shares "automatic failure". The chart B361 chart I takes the bad / good dice rolling into account and the often hugely arbitrary modifiers (by this I mean we can all agree that a range penalty for a weapon is in a table, we knew when we chose our weapon what the range penalty was etc. Where what the fright check for a xyz scary thing is that jumps out at us, and the gore factor of the scene are sort of mixed/fluid at times and vary greatly)
Also there will often be critical failures if you used the critical failure system (bonus failure because of the ranging) since your often taking more than -10 but not more than -20 to Fright Checks). There just isn't another mechanic like this. So the mildest failure max Will [13] and a '14' is rolled and a 3 is rolled for the effects table with a result of [4] is tame. While a Will [6] modified to [-10] by the environment with a roll of 10 has a failure of 20. Then a roll on the chart of 10 gives a 30 effect, stare off into space for 1d days ... that critical enough for me.
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04-14-2011, 10:09 AM | #5 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
Rolls with margins just about never care about "critical" anything. GURPS uses two metrics to assess the quality of outcomes of success rolls:
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
04-14-2011, 10:17 AM | #6 |
GURPS Line Editor
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Montréal, Québec
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
Also note that 17-18 (critical failure) against average Will 10 is failure by 7-8. The ensuing roll of 3d will average 10-11. Looking at that range (17-19), we have dead faints in the face of what's likely immediate danger. I'd say that's plenty bad. Heroic PCs with their Will capped at 13 won't experience that often, but then they're heroic PCs, not ordinary folks, and not expected to swoon at danger.
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Sean "Dr. Kromm" Punch <kromm@sjgames.com> GURPS Line Editor, Steve Jackson Games My DreamWidth [Just GURPS News] |
04-14-2011, 03:34 PM | #7 |
Join Date: Jan 2011
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Re: Critical Failures of Fright Checks
Thank you all for your elaborated statements!
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Tags |
critical failure, fright check, fright checks, houserule |
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