Rule of 16 - What's the Point?

[LemmingLord]

It is a very genre specific spell system that encourages skill levels ridiculous for any other kind of skill...

It is an interesting band aid...

To make spell resistance more comparable to active defenses it might be better to get rid of the contested defense and instead make resistance rolls successful if the roll is equal to or less than the resisting attribute... Then allow "deceptive casting" to overcome obscenely high resisting attributes with -2 spell roll equating to a -1 to resisting attribute.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Kenneth Latrans

I was never able to grasp how this one's supposed to work.

If you have a supernatural attack that is resistible then after accounting for any modifiers if your effective skill is 16 or more and the victims resistance is 16 or less, then you roll against a 16 instead.

Example:
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 12: Roll 16 versus 12
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 17: Roll 17 versus 17

[LemmingLord]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If you have a supernatural attack that is resistible then after accounting for any modifiers if your effective skill is 16 or more and the victims resistance is 16 or less, then you roll against a 16 instead.

Example:
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 12: Roll 16 versus 12
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 17: Roll 16 versus 10 (25 versus 17 is reduced by 7 on both sides because of the Extreme Scores rule (B349) and then the Rule of 16 applies).

Extreme scores only applies to contests of the same kind... Strength vs strength. It does not apply to resistance rolls.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by LemmingLord

Extreme scores only applies to contests of the same kind... Strength vs strength. It does not apply to resistance rolls.

Page reference?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If you have a supernatural attack that is resistible then after accounting for any modifiers if your effective skill is 16 or more and the victims resistance is 16 or less, then you roll against a 16 instead.

And if your victim's resistance is 17+, you roll against the victim's resistance or your actual skill, whichever is less.

The rule of 16 is to some degree a 3rd edition artifact, where mental skills could be raised at 2p/level.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Anthony

And if your victim's resistance is 17+, you roll against the victim's resistance or your actual skill, whichever is less.

I thought so too, but again I can't find where it says that Extreme Scores doesn't apply to resistance rolls. Do you recall where this is?

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I thought so too, but again I can't find where it says that Extreme Scores doesn't apply to resistance rolls. Do you recall where this is?

Extreme scores doesn't apply to quick contests at all, it's for regular contests. You want the Rule of 16 box on page B349.

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Anthony

Extreme scores doesn't apply to quick contests at all, it's for regular contests. You want the Rule of 16 box on page B349.

Right! Thanks. I knew I was missing something I already knew.

[Hannes665]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

If you have a supernatural attack that is resistible then after accounting for any modifiers if your effective skill is 16 or more and the victims resistance is 16 or less, then you roll against a 16 instead.

Example:
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 12: Roll 16 versus 12
Flesh to Stone 25 versus HT 17: Roll 17 versus 17

I use a rather simple house rule instead of Rule of X. I divide the 2 numbers either with 2 or any number that equally divides both numbers.

For example above:
Flesh to Stone 25 vs. HT 12: (divide with 2 round up) 13 vs. 6.
Flesh to Stone 25 vs. HT 17: 13 vs 9.

Sleeping: 24 vs. HT 15 8 vs. 5. Both divided with 3.
Sleeping: 24 vs. HT 14 12 vs. 7.

This does not LOWER critical success or failure for the spell user. So a spell user with x spell at level 24 and is rolling against 12 would get a critical success at 5 or 6. Same if he would roll a 17 and the active spell level would be 17+ regardless if he is rolling vs 12 17 would be a failure not critical failure. The Spell caster is not failing his spell rather the subject or target is resisting the spell.

[Stripe]

I'd really rather the "Rule of 16" be more like the "Rule of +6."

Originally Posted by lexington

Psionic Campaigns also has "No Rule of 16" as an enhancement for abilities.

Thanks. I recently purchased Psionic Powers and didn't even know there was a book called Psionic Campaigns.

What's it worth? Like, +10%?