The Forge Archives

Inactive Forums => The Riddle of Steel => Topic started by: Jaif on August 06, 2002, 01:30:28 AM

Title: A few options
Post by: Jaif on August 06, 2002, 01:30:28 AM
Just some options that I've been considering.  I apologize if any of these have been covered on the boards before  - I don't remember seeing them.

1) New advantage: Nimbleness(minor/major).  Your character is particularly adept at maintaining his footing and other feats requiring balance. +1/+3 dice to all terrain and acrobatics rolls. (For terrain rolls, you must spend at least 1 die out of your CP when in combat to get the bonus, i.e. the bonus may not be used by itself.)

2) Heros against the odds.  For those of you playing more epic campaigns who want their Aragorns to wade through lesser beings, consider: instead of splitting your CP against multiple opponents, split your proficiency but keep your reflexes.  So if you have reflex 6 and poleaxe 7, you can have 9 dice on one opponent, and 10 on the other.  At least 1 proficiency must go to each opponent.

3) Subtracting dice.  I'm a believer in "there's always a chance, however small."  So -stealing blatantly from heavy gear- if your available dice for a roll falls under 1, you roll an extra die for each number below.  So, down to 0 is 2 dice, -1 is 3, and so on.  The catch is that a) you read the lowest number, and b) if that lowest is a 1, you fumble.

-Jeff
Title: Re: A few options
Post by: Sneaky Git on August 06, 2002, 08:59:08 AM
Quote from: Jaif1) New advantage: Nimbleness(minor/major).  Your character is particularly adept at maintaining his footing and other feats requiring balance. +1/+3 dice to all terrain and acrobatics rolls. (For terrain rolls, you must spend at least 1 die out of your CP when in combat to get the bonus, i.e. the bonus may not be used by itself.)
This is pretty cool.. this is similar to something like Acute Senses(minor/major), which would grant a +1/+3 die bonus to Per checks (or somesuch..).

Quote from: Jaif2) Heros against the odds.  For those of you playing more epic campaigns who want their Aragorns to wade through lesser beings, consider: instead of splitting your CP against multiple opponents, split your proficiency but keep your reflexes.  So if you have reflex 6 and poleaxe 7, you can have 9 dice on one opponent, and 10 on the other.  At least 1 proficiency must go to each opponent.
Ouch!  Would you grant this only to heroes?  How about major villians?

Quote from: Jaif3) Subtracting dice.  I'm a believer in "there's always a chance, however small."  So -stealing blatantly from heavy gear- if your available dice for a roll falls under 1, you roll an extra die for each number below.  So, down to 0 is 2 dice, -1 is 3, and so on.  The catch is that a) you read the lowest number, and b) if that lowest is a 1, you fumble.
Ah.. I've played some Tribe 8.  I like this mechanic for Silhouette.. but wasn't this just for unskilled checks?  Or am I not remembering correctly?
Title: A few options
Post by: Jaif on August 06, 2002, 11:16:23 AM
2) Rule intended for all combatants.  It's just a mechanic to keep many-one fights interesting if that's the kind of campaign you run.

3) The unskilled mechanic was roll 2 dice, keep the highest.  I'm just stealing the principle and using in skill rolls.  It's actually a group thing; my players all feel happier if they have a chance to roll for something, even if the odds are miniscule.

The balance advantage is something I'm likely to add.  The many to one doesn't fit my campaign right now.  The unskilled thing is something I used once, and will continue to use.

-Jeff
Title: A few options
Post by: Jake Norwood on August 06, 2002, 12:39:24 PM
QuoteThis is pretty cool.. this is similar to something like Acute Senses(minor/major), which would grant a +1/+3 die bonus to Per checks (or somesuch..).

The thing is, as has come up on the forum before, that an "acute senses" is really just a cheap way to increase your PER, even if only some of the time. The nimbleness one, though, has a separate application. What other application could come out of an acute senses Gift? That's worth talking about.

Jake
Title: A few options
Post by: Sneaky Git on August 06, 2002, 12:49:34 PM
Quote from: Jake NorwoodThe thing is, as has come up on the forum before, that an "acute senses" is really just a cheap way to increase your PER, even if only some of the time.
This is certainly true..

Quote from: Jake NorwoodThe nimbleness one, though, has a separate application. What other application could come out of an acute senses Gift? That's worth talking about.
Good question, there.. I'm not certain what other uses it might have.  Would it follow that the reason Beauty of Legends avoids this pitfall is because it has a downside?  And tons of roleplaying applications?
Title: A few options
Post by: Jaif on August 06, 2002, 01:01:54 PM
QuoteThe thing is, as has come up on the forum before, that an "acute senses" is really just a cheap way to increase your PER, even if only some of the time.

With that title, yes.  If I were making advantages for sense, I'd consider a) being specific on the sense, and b) granting abilities that normal people can't touch.

So, acute sense of smell not only allows you to track like a dog (though not as well), but also to discern poison in a drink that nobody else would notice (note that taste is in large part smell).

I'll add this - in humans, the people with better senses often can seperate more detail.  Better eyesight may mean better distance and clarity, but also can be better color differentiation.

So perhaps your acute eyesight functions as a +1/+3 under most circumstances, but you also pick out most illusions because the casters themselves fail to include the necessary detail that reality has in your eyes.  Oh and camoflauge? Gimme a break.

Just some thoughts,

-Jeff
Title: A few options
Post by: Brian Leybourne on August 06, 2002, 04:31:02 PM
Quote from: Jaif
QuoteThe thing is, as has come up on the forum before, that an "acute senses" is really just a cheap way to increase your PER, even if only some of the time.

With that title, yes.  If I were making advantages for sense, I'd consider a) being specific on the sense, and b) granting abilities that normal people can't touch.

So, acute sense of smell not only allows you to track like a dog (though not as well), but also to discern poison in a drink that nobody else would notice (note that taste is in large part smell).

Personally, I would differentiate it from "more Per for cheaper" by having a disadvantage as well as an advantage. So although an acute sense of smell lets you track things like a dog, you find really strong smells overpowering and uncomfortable, and maybe wolfsbane (which dogs can't stand the smell of) is something that you can't even go near.

That kind of thing.

Brian.