Alternative skill system...

[Winters]

While the current skill system works satisfactorialy I have made a way to turn it into a die pool system. Now I'm not saying that it is a better way to go. But in the limited playtesting i've done so far it seems to work just as fast and well.
  But i think there may be some issues that only a long campaign can expose, so i'm putting it up for general consumption and opinions.

DICE POOL SKILL SYSTEM*

* This is a success based skill system. GM fiat only takes place to determine the number of successes needed to be successful on uncontested skill or attribute rolls.

- All Skill and Attribute Check rolls have ( TN: 5 ) UNIVERSAL AND FIXED.

- All checks are measured by # of successes.  Table 1.1

- All rolls are contested like combat with the winner claiming the spoils. Or the GM requires the player to have a certain number of successes to complete a task. Table 1.1

 Skill Packet Selection: Stays the same except you now change all the skill packet modifiers that have a + to a - and vice versa. (This applies to all such skill packet modifiers throughout the book). These modifiers now add to or take away dice from your beginning skill dice pool.

The beginning skill dice pool is determined by the priority level selected for your primary and secondary skill packets, plus or minus any individual skill modifiers given in the packet.

 MA points are then added.  

PRIORITY LIST: Add this die modifier to the skills in each skill packet: Primary/Secondary. (numbers may need additional fiddleing)

A:  5/4
B:  4/3
C:  3/3
D:  2/2
E:  1/0
F:  0/0

Skill rolls are made by adding the dice in your skill pool to the appropriate Attribute Skill Modifier (SM): which is ½ the attribute rounded down.

EX: you have a sneak of 6d and an AG of 7 so you add 6d to ½ of 7 = 3. So you roll 6d +3d for a total of 9d on your skill check.

SKILL DEFAULTS:

  - You either have a skill or you don't. And you may only default from one skill to another if  the book says it is OK. If the there is no default. Then you may not default to that skill.
        - If one skill defaults to another skill then you subtract -2d from the current skill rating.

ADVANCEMENT:

You must pay for a skill increase as per the raising of proficiencies on p.68.
  Otherwise skill advancement works more or less exactly the same. You fill in your 3 check marks during play as per GM discretion. And then you may pay the cost to raise the skill. No MA roll is required.

Table Mods for PER and Sneak:
They add or subtract dice instead of raising and lowering the target numbers.

PER mods for Camoflage:
Day: +1d
Dusk/Dawn: -1d
Night: -2d
Heavy cover: -2d
Light cover: -1d
No cover: +2d

PER mods for Pickpocket:
Out in open: +1d
Moderate crowd: -1d
Heavy crowd/good distraction: -2d
Proximity to body: +/-2d

PER mods for Sneak:
Quiet: +2d
Alert / looking around for something: +2d
Specifically watching out for people sneaking up on you: +3d
Not-alert / some noise: -1d
Not paying attention / mild noise: - 2d
Engrossed in something else / loud noise: -3d

Surprise and Hesitation
Success numbers
(# of successes needed on a Reflex roll not to get smacked)

1 – Purposely standing with no combat stance.

2 – Victim of a cheap shot, or you hesitated.

3 – Unsuspecting or inattentive.

4 – Blindsided!

(this got screwed up in the copy/paste)
TERRAIN SUCCESS TABLE  (movement 0r Agility stat or combat pool)
Terrain............Stand/Crawl....Cautious....Normal.....Hurried.....Sprint
Solid/Flat...................0..............0..............0..............0..............0
Narrow/Ledges...........1..............2..............3..............4..............5
Swampy/Rocky..........2..............3..............4..............5..............6
Ice/Slippery...............2..............3..............4..............5..............6
Tight  spaces..............2..............3..............4..............5..............6
2 opponents...............x...............x..............x..............1..............0
3-5 opponents............x...............x..............x..............2..............1
5-10opponents...........x...............x..............x..............3..............2
10+opponents............x...............x..............x..............4..............3

Sprinting, while in combat means that you have no intention to fight and are trying to elude your assailants outright.

The following assumes an unencumbered PC who isn't a total weakling:

Leaping: PC's can automatically leap 3' standing and 6' running. Each success adds 1'.

Jumping: PC's can auto jump 18". Each success adds 6".

Lifting: PC's can auto lift 175lbs. Each success adds 25lbs.


Skills Modified: (more modifications may be needed)

Body Language: As described, but with the following substitution in the last sentence of the second paragraph:
   Failure means you read the signs wrong; you zigged when you should have zagged, and ½ of your remaining CP dice are lost.

Languages: With 1 MA point you may buy them at your highest packet rating during character generation. Language skill rolls are language skill + MA skill modifier.

A PC built with an B skill priority 4/3 and the swordsman + knight skill packets would look like this: (with 4 MA points)

Combat/weapon art: 5d
First aid: 6d
Body language: 3d
Style analysis: 2d
Etiquette: 5d (school)

Riding: 4d
Hunting: 3d
Heraldry: 4d
Strategy: 3d
Tactics: 2d
Etiquette: 3d (tournament)

Stahlnish: 4d
Gelurise: 4d

With these stats and skill modifiers:
STAT             Skill Modifier
ST: 5..............2
AG: 7.............3
TO: 5..............2
EN: 4..............2
HT: 4..............2

WP: 4..............2
Wit: 6..............3
MA: 4..............2
Soc: 3..............1
Per: 5...............2

To make skill checks you roll the Skill + appropriate Attribute Skill Modifier.


SUCCESS TABLE 1.1
1   Easy
2   Average
3   Hard
4   Challenging
5   Difficult
6   Very Difficult
7   Amazing
8   Heroic
9   The Impossible
10   The Unbelievable

One problem that seems might come up is what do you do when skill pools start to overwhelmingly out-strip attributes. One possible solution would be to do away with all "pure" attribute checks and have everything done by "physical/mental" type skills - like arrowflight rpg.

Any ideas???

[silburnl]

What does this change do to the probability curve for skill resolution?

Why are you halving the stat contribution to the skill pool?

Regards
Luke