Math and BRP

[Atgxtg]

I've been working on a BRP variant, and considered the following idea for handling criticals ans specials without the math. It is also slightly inspired by HARNMASTER.

Criticals: Any successful skill roll than is "doubles". I.e. 11, 22, 33, etc.

Specials: Any successful skill roll than ends in 0 or 5 (ala HARNMASTER). The exception being 55, which is a critical.

Fumbles: Any failed skill roll ending in doubles. The character gets a Luck roll to avoid the critical.


Note that this will give percentages that are very close to 10%/20% (if you toss in a Luck roll to confirm criticals, you end up close to the 5%/20%).

[RMS]

Originally Posted by drohem

I liked Harnmaster's skill index concept as well.

I like it to a certain extent, but it always seemed like a double whammy: high skill improves what your roll means and also increases the chance of rolling a better success. Plus, technically in BRP you shouldn't be rolling for any of the things where the skill index comes up in HM. However, I like to roll for those so I've used an ad hoc nature to BRP rolls. Typically, a success or failure represents more or less time, resources, etc. are spent, but the outcome is pretty much assured. Fumbles are the only true failure in such cases. Specials are usually cut time/resources and criticals even more, and occasionally superior craftsmanship (or similar). That also removes the complaints about people failing at day-to-day tasks while still letting them roll for it. An apprentice can have a 25% skill, and not screw up 75% of the time...they just take longer than a master at mundane tasks.

[Atgxtg]

The "double whammy" makes sense though. Generally speaking someone who has a higher degree of skill tends to produce better quality results than someone who doesn not. This is over an above the success/fail thing. Whne I was working on circuitboards, pretty much everyone could solder a board (that was their job), but some people did better quality work, had better solder joints, didn't "wick" as many wires, etc. My "blah" work was usually better than some people's "best efforts".

[soltakss]

Originally Posted by RMS

That also removes the complaints about people failing at day-to-day tasks while still letting them roll for it. An apprentice can have a 25% skill, and not screw up 75% of the time...they just take longer than a master at mundane tasks.

Apprentices do fail a lot of the time, though. They do something, show their boss who throws it away and asks them to do it again. That's the reason it takes longer - because they have to repeat the task until they succeed.

[soltakss]

By the way, I tried the Critical/Special/Fumble Table in my game on Monday and it was very well received. Everyone used it and it sped up combat, more than I expected it to.

[Triff]

Originally Posted by soltakss

By the way, I tried the Critical/Special/Fumble Table in my game on Monday and it was very well received. Everyone used it and it sped up combat, more than I expected it to.

What table?

SGL.