[Forge-main] Re: Mecanics

[Enrique Perez]

Hail. Ricardo wrote:

> The problem with exploding d10 is that it negates the rules for critical
> successes (which I rather liked) although it does replace critical
> successes with improved rolls and the potential to do really well.

We should have tables for critical successes anyways, like the warhammer 
critical death table.
Basically when someone dies, depending on the type of weapon and the damage 
done plus maybe a die
roll there is a specific death. Making up something out of the air for a 
bludgeoning weapon, 'a
crushing blow collapses the lungs, the shock causing the body to jerk one last 
time, death is
immediate'. So when you roll high on an exploding die there's a good chance the 
person dies right
there in which case you can read the critical death. Should there be demand you 
could make a
critical success table for other endeavours where it makes sense, like say 
intimidate or tumble.

> Another issue with exploding d10 is that it creates an open-ended
> system. A regular d10 means that difficulties have a fixed range of
> 0-20. Exploding d10 means that difficulties pf 20+ are possible. Some
> people like open-ended systems like these, others don't. Not sure which
> I prefer. Thoughts people?

In real life the unlikely does happen, like sometimes a draftee kills an 
experienced warrior in
the thick of a battle or an arrow shot into the distance will hit the enemy 
commander in the
throat. Any gaussian system has this property; but, the really difficult stuff 
although it can
happen really rarely does. Only one time in a hundred will the d10 explode 
twice, this might
happen maybe once a game session? Probably no one will ever see a d10 explode 
five times. Should
people not like even the remote possibilty; however, they can limit it to one 
or two explosions.
Should a d10 have no explosions its average will be 5.5. With one explosion its 
average will be
6.05, with two explosions its average will be 6.105, with three explosions 
6.1105, with unlimited
explosions 6.1111..repeating = 6 + 1 / 9. Basically letting the d10 explode 
does affect the
maximum possible a lot; but, the average only a little and can be easily 
accounted for by
increasing the average difficulty by 0.6.

Jerry wrote:

> By applying all modifiers to difficulty levels instead of to rolls, it makes 
> it easy for game
> masters to pre-calculate difficulty levels. I.e., "with all modifiers added 
> in, the difficulty
> level for resurrecting Jim Morrison is 13".

I suggest that modifiers that come from the target be placed on the target side 
whether they are
positive or negative while the modifiers that come from the creature be placed 
on that creature.
So say recognizing a flag in the distance is a difficulty of fifteen. So 
Nelson, blind in one eye,
trying to see the enemy's flag, in a moderate rain, has a minus two penalty and 
a target
difficulty of seventeen, plus two because of the rain. This enables the game 
master to
precalculate difficulties and the players are best positioned to keep track of 
their own
modifiers. So if say Arathorn, with his keen scouting eyesight, was on the ship 
with Nelson, he
would have a plus one bonus; but, his target difficulty would still be 
seventeen.

Cheers,
Enrique


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