Variant die-rolling mechanics

[tomd1969]

I know it's sacrilegious, but I've been thinking about trying out some variant die-rolling mechanics for the Hero System. Nothing else would change, just the way dice are rolled and/or the results counted.

 

For example, I can envision a system where everything is done through the "counting Body" system such as for normal damage. Every Characteristic would get 1d6 per every 5 pts (including STR) normally. Roll the dice and count the "Body," and compare it to a difficulty number for success. Buying a skill at the 3pt level allows you to roll 1d6 per every 3 Characteristic pts. Every +2 pts in a Skill adds +1d6. Skill vs. Skill Contests would be a comparison of "Body" Totals.

 

Combat would be done much the same way: Roll 1d6 per 3 DEX to hit, and your opponent rolls 1d6 per 3 DEX. The combat modifiers and maneuvers would work the same way, except they add +1d6 for every +1. CSLs would add dice to the pool.

 

I've had other ideas, but this was the most radical.

 

Thoughts? Problems? Fruit?

 

Does anyone else have any other ideas like this?

[Sean Waters]

Re: Variant die-rolling mechanics

 

I know it's sacrilegious, but I've been thinking about trying out some variant die-rolling mechanics for the Hero System. Nothing else would change, just the way dice are rolled and/or the results counted.

 

For example, I can envision a system where everything is done through the "counting Body" system such as for normal damage. Every Characteristic would get 1d6 per every 5 pts (including STR) normally. Roll the dice and count the "Body," and compare it to a difficulty number for success. Buying a skill at the 3pt level allows you to roll 1d6 per every 3 Characteristic pts. Every +2 pts in a Skill adds +1d6. Skill vs. Skill Contests would be a comparison of "Body" Totals.

 

Combat would be done much the same way: Roll 1d6 per 3 DEX to hit, and your opponent rolls 1d6 per 3 DEX. The combat modifiers and maneuvers would work the same way, except they add +1d6 for every +1. CSLs would add dice to the pool.

 

I've had other ideas, but this was the most radical.

 

Thoughts? Problems? Fruit?

 

Does anyone else have any other ideas like this?

 

Mango.

 

I think the problem is that, for combat, you very often have OCV and DCV figures which are in the 8-12 range, at least in superhero games.

 

Counting the Body is likely to take longer than counting up 3d6.

 

Slower combat = bad.

 

OTOH it could speed up damage: just look for BODY and roll against defence value/5, and take the number of excess successes x 3 in stun.

 

I mean you'll never make it an official change, but it would be interesting to see how it works.

 

Out of interest have you played much WoD?

[tomd1969]

Re: Variant die-rolling mechanics

 

Mango.

 

I think the problem is that, for combat, you very often have OCV and DCV figures which are in the 8-12 range, at least in superhero games.

 

Counting the Body is likely to take longer than counting up 3d6.

 

Slower combat = bad.

 

Hmm... hadn't thought of that.

 

Honestly, I was thinking about it more in lines of a heroic game, really, where 8-10 CV would be the *maximum*... Though that means my idea might not be very scalable. Interesting. Bears some thought.

 

And, hey, I *like* mango....

 

OTOH it could speed up damage: just look for BODY and roll against defence value/5, and take the number of excess successes x 3 in stun.

 

I mean you'll never make it an official change, but it would be interesting to see how it works.

 

Out of interest have you played much WoD?

Well, yes, I have. I find it interesting that they have a similar die mechanic that they use for nearly everything that the Hero System has only been using for damage if you really think about it.

 

Mostly, though, what I'm looking for is if anyone has ever tried something like this... or if they've only thought about it, yet still have it resemble the Hero System, at least in the "Character Description" portion of it. In other words, the character sheets for my variant wouldn't (necessarily) be much different than anyone else's, I just have different methods for task and/or combat resolution.

 

If so, I'm interested in hearing these variants and how well they worked or didn't work.

[Sean Waters]

Re: Variant die-rolling mechanics

 

I like mango too. Perhaps we should found some sort of society?

 

One WoD idea I quite liked (although it is possible I was not playing it right ) was that the successes on hits could carry over to damage.

 

In this instance that could work quite well.

 

Part of the problem will be that Hero uses advantages and limitations, so you would need to use the base DC as the 'damage dice'. You could either peg defences at DEF/5 or roll them too (again that slows things though).

 

So, say we had a OCV 7 attack agaiunst a DCV 5 doing 6d6 damage against 14 def.

 

Roll 7 dice, get (say) 8 Body, that is 3 over target, so roll 3+6 for damage and get (say) 9 BODY, subtract DEF/5 (round up to 3) and get a result of 6, which you multiply by 3 to get 18 stun (or 9 stun if you did not add the dice from the attack successes).

 

This would compare with an average expected result of:

 

HIT

 

21 STUN - 14 DEF = 7 STUN

 

Close enough for government work.

 

Now killing attacks would be a little different: damage would be DCs, as before (so 1d6 killing = 3 DCs), and roll as above until the very last step. The (unmultiplied) result would be BODY damage.

 

To get STUN you run throught he final step again from damage dice using nonrsistant defence/5 and multiplying the final result by 3.

 

Pretty straightforward. Could work.

[Lord Liaden]

Re: Variant die-rolling mechanics

 

Erol K. Brayburt developed a detailed conversion of the various standard HERO rolls into percentiles, which definitely add granularity to the system: http://www.io.com/~angilas/madlab/skillsys.html

[tomd1969]

Re: Variant die-rolling mechanics

 

Ooooo... Nice find!

 

Repped!