Mix'N'Matched Char+Skill Rolls

[prestidigitator]

The White Wolf systems have a pretty neat approach to Skills ("Abilities"). They aren't based on Characteristics ("Attributes") right off the bat, but are rather paired with them at the time of use, in whatever fashion is appropriate for the situation. It seems that this could be a very easy adaption for Hero.

 

Consider the following option:

 

Skills are no longer based directly on a Characteristic roll. They should instead be thought of as bonuses to a Characteristic roll. For the initial cost of the Skill, you get a +0, and the cost to increase it is as normal. For Familiarity, you get the ability to attempt any roll involving that skill, but it is at a -3. If no particular Characteristic is applicable (and/or as an option to Backgroud Skills), the Skill bonus modifies an 11- roll.

 

Example

 

Peter is a mountaineer. Here are his relavent stats:

 

Str 10 (11-)

Dex 19 (13-)

Con 13 (12-)

Int 14 (12-)

Climbing: +2

Mountaineer(PS): +4

Survival(Mountains): +3

 

Peter climbs a crack in some rocks, and the GM decides this requires a Dex+Climbing = 13+2 = 15- roll. He fails badly (somehow) and is caught at the end of his rope. The GM decides that it is a Str+Climbing = 11+2 = 13- roll to pull himself up to a position where he has enough purchase to continue climbing. Later, Peter wants to coil his rope so that it will easily unfurl without knotting. The GM decides that this is a straight application of Mountaineer(PS), so the roll is 11+4 = 15-.

 

This actually allows for a simplification in Complimentary Skills as well. If you assume an 11- plus Skill (with a Skill of +X) for the Complimentary roll, this gives a roll of 11+X, which will on average succeed by 11+X-10.5 = X+1/2. This will give a bonus of (X+1/2)/2 = X/2+1/4, which rounds to X/2 for even numbers and X/2+1 for odd numbers; this is the way we round division by two in the system anyway. So instead of the usual two rolls when a Complimentary Skill applies, you can just call for a Char+Primary+Secondary/2 (or 11+Primary+Secondary/2).

 

Example

 

Peter now crosses a hillside with a precarious looking bank of snow above, and the player wants to know the likelihood of an avalanche. The GM decides that this is an Int+Mountaineer(PS) roll, with Survival(Mountains) as secondary. He can call for the standard two rolls of Int+Mountaineer(PS) = 12+4 = 16-, modified by the results of the Complimentary Roll of Int+Survival(Mountains) = 12+3 = 15- or 11+Survival(Mountains) = 11+3 = 14-. Alternately, as a simplification, the GM can call for a single roll of Int+Mountainer(PS)+Survival(Mountains)/2 = 12+4+3/2 ~= 12+4+2 = 18-.

It seems like the player will have to worry a little more about balanced Characteristics for the tasks (s)he wants the character to be good at, and will have less control of the final rolls (sort of a partial No Conscious Control), so maybe all Skills should have an initial cost of 2, but I'm not sure of that one.

 

Thoughts?

[JohnTaber]

Re: Mix'N'Matched Char+Skill Rolls

 

Wow. I like this! I'm always adapting Hero to other games...this is one place where the other way around might be better.

 

I like the idea of keeping two rolls when complimenting. That way the dice rolls are more important but the concept is neat.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Mix'N'Matched Char+Skill Rolls

 

Oops. I just realized I messed up on part of the example. The character has an Int score of 14, not an Int roll of 14-. I will correct (edit) it in a moment. The given examples are probably sufficient, but I was going to add:

Example

 

Peter is reaching the end of his climb. The Sun has just set, and Peter wants to reach the top before it gets dark. He has had a long day of hard exertion, so the GM decides that a Con+Climbing = 12+2 = 14- is required for Peter to press on hard enough to make it in time.

[prestidigitator]

Re: Mix'N'Matched Char+Skill Rolls

 

Wow. I like this! I'm always adapting Hero to other games...this is one place where the other way around might be better.

 

I like the idea of keeping two rolls when complimenting. That way the dice rolls are more important but the concept is neat.

Thanks. I like two rolls for Complimentary Skills most of the time myself, but in some cases the GM might just want to speed things up and require only one roll. It just struck me that this incidentally becomes quite easy if you use this Skill option.

[Dust Raven]

Re: Mix'N'Matched Char+Skill Rolls

 

This is something I do on occasion, but I don't use it as a standard house rule. But there are those times when someone does something where a Characteristic other than the one a Skill is based on seem more appropiate. These are few and far between however.

 

The typically rule I use is just to allow an applicable use of a CHAR Roll if a character possessed a certain Skill. Like if a character wants to know something about they way a particular part of the government works, I have have him make an INT Roll if he has Bureaucratics.