A New Generic Fantasy System?

[el_octogono]

Some thoughts and options.

I don't like RQ hit locations either, I find it's too much mechanical crunch only for combat. However I do like the narrative detail hitting a body part has. I would suggest a critical hit to give the option of doing double damage or doing normal damage but hitting a specific location for a "narrative" reason. I.e. dropping a gun, forcing someone prone, stun, and so on.

 

On opposed rolls, I was giving further thought after reading this thread and maybe an elegant solution would be a roll low wins but giving the character with the higher skill the option to reverse or flop the dice. That way you give the more skilled character the leverage while keeping low roll wins and avoiding an auto success: it may happen that even switching dice doesn't give the more skilled character the lower roll.

 

Edited October 29, 2022 by el_octogono
Typo

[Mugen]

1 hour ago, el_octogono said:

On opposed rolls, I was giving further thought after reading this thread and maybe an elegant solution would be a roll low wins but giving the character with the higher skill the option to reverse or flop the dice. That way you give the more skilled character the leverage while keeping low roll wins and avoiding an auto success: it may happen that even switching dice doesn't give the more skilled character the lower roll.

 

I haven't done the maths (it's quite tedious...), but I think the advantage your method gives is just too big when opposed skills are close.

And it gets bigger as chances of success near 100, as the most likely result becomes a double success.

[el_octogono]

1 hour ago, Mugen said:

I haven't done the maths (it's quite tedious...), but I think the advantage your method gives is just too big when opposed skills are close.

And it gets bigger as chances of success near 100, as the most likely result becomes a double success.

Yes, you're right, even if one character is only 1% better than the other it has the advantage. But it's not an auto success, if you use the higher skill option, you don't have to do any math.

Rereading my post, I may have not been clear. The dice flipping option becomes available if both sides succeed (or fail, if needed), and just to determine who wins the tie. You can't change a simple success into a critical by switching the dice.

[Mugen]

12 hours ago, el_octogono said:

Yes, you're right, even if one character is only 1% better than the other it has the advantage. But it's not an auto success, if you use the higher skill option, you don't have to do any math.

Rereading my post, I may have not been clear. The dice flipping option becomes available if both sides succeed (or fail, if needed), and just to determine who wins the tie. You can't change a simple success into a critical by switching the dice.

I understood you perfectly. 

The problem I have is that, in my humble opinion, in an opposition between two characters with similar skills, the chance of success should be around 50% for each protagonist (*). Again, I've not done the math, but I think your proposal more likely gives ~60% chance to a 99% skill when opposed to a 98% skill, for instance.

As a matter of fact, "lowest roll wins" already gives better odds of success to the highest skill, and you don't really need to add anything to this rule.

(*) it's the reason why I don't count situations where both rolls fail as a "draw" and give victory to the highest roll.

[el_octogono]

4 hours ago, Mugen said:

As a matter of fact, "lowest roll wins" already gives better odds of success to the highest skill, and you don't really need to add anything to this rule.

(*) it's the reason why I don't count situations where both rolls fail as a "draw" and give victory to the highest roll.

Oh yes, I agree. It's a psychological thing. That's why the latest BRP games have chosen a blackjack roll approach, because the highest skilled character, if the opposition already rolled low, has still the "illusion" that their difference in skill matter. Otherwise the "feeling" is reduced to just roll lower than the opposition, no matter their skill.

Edited October 30, 2022 by el_octogono