Renaissance Rules Question

[michaelsbagley]

Not that this would come up often, but how do most handle "critical" success odds for Renaissance and compatible rule systems?

The rules (paraphrased) spell out that the critical chance is 10% of the character's skill.

However, modifiers can alter a character's skill, taking the rules ultra-literally, a modifier would not affect the percentage for a critical. But as a matter of preference, do those who play/GM these rules calculate the chance of a critical based on the modified skills (regardless of whether the modifier is a penalty or bonus), or do you generally keep the critical odds as 10% of the character's base skill level, and only apply the modifer to the overall success or failure?

I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this. I am also working on updating the Roll20 character sheet for Renaissance (and related games), and was going to add automatic skill rolls into the sheets, which would require had math being encoded into the rolls.... So whatever the majority is leaning towards, is likely how I would code the math on the character sheet there.

[K Peterson]

The critical is based on the final modified skill level, both in my gameplay and according to Renaissance Deluxe. As per page 36:

Quote

Critical Successes

Sometimes a character performs a task especially well. If the dice roll in a test is equal to or less than 10% of the modified skill, then a critical success has been achieved (e.g. A character with 70% in a skill would get a critical success on a roll of 7 or less – remember, always round to the nearest whole number).

From my reading, "modified" includes Haste/Difficulty modifiers and Close Combat or Range Combat situational modifiers.

[michaelsbagley]

1 hour ago, K Peterson said:

The critical is based on the final modified skill level, both in my gameplay and according to Renaissance Deluxe. As per page 36:

From my reading, "modified" includes Haste/Difficulty modifiers and Close Combat or Range Combat situational modifiers.

I went back, and looked, and you are correct, it is based on modified. Thanks. I can't believe I missed that.

[Ade]

It's always good to throw things out there for responses. Every rulebook takes effort to read, even the best written ones, and it is so easy to miss small things like that

[jagerfury]

I'll use this thread to pose a rules question of my own;

Great Attack provides maximum damage bonus. Does this mean one rolls weapon damage normally, but if the character has a damage bonus it is the maximum amount?

Or does the attack do the maximum amount of damage for the weapon as well as the damage bonus of the character? Or is it neither of these two interpretations and something else?

Edited March 3, 2017 by jagerfury

[Butters]

I would go with your first option but it is a little odd reading it though I guess it makes sense as you get to add all your weight behind the swing and you lose your second reaction due to the follow through.

[K Peterson]

On 3/2/2017 at 4:47 PM, jagerfury said:

Great Attack provides maximum damage bonus. Does this mean one rolls weapon damage normally, but if the character has a damage bonus it is the maximum amount?

From my reading of it, the weapon damage is rolled normally, and the damage bonus is the maximum amount.

Quote

Or does the attack do the maximum amount of damage for the weapon as well as the damage bonus of the character?

This only happens in the case of a Critical Hit.