[Nexus] Thoughts on critical success/ fail

[Aussiegamer]

Task Difficulty Classes
The Difficulty Class (DC) is a number set by the GM that reflects how easy or challenging any given task is to complete. Providing a list of sample DC’s is pointless because the DC of each task changes based on the situations involved. Walking across a tightrope may be a DC 15 task one time but may be a DC 12 task the next time (the GM decides the rope is thicker or more stable this time) or the DC may be 22 (a thinner rope with a stiff and erratic cross-breeze). The GM must take all variables into account when assigning a DC to a task and should endeavour to remain as consistent in selecting the DC of a task as possible. If the GM decides a “difficult” task has a DC of 20, then all “difficult” tasks should have a DC of 20. GMs should use Table 12-2: Difficulty Classes as a rough guideline when determining the DC of a task.
Table: Difficulty Classes
DC Task Difficulty
0 Extremely Easy
5 Easy
7 Simple
10 Average Difficulty
15 Above Average Difficulty
20 Difficult
25 Quite Difficult
30 Extremely Difficult
35 Supremely Difficult
40 Practically Impossible
The check is unsuccessful if the value is less than the DC. The greater the difference between the value and the DC, the greater the degree of success or failure (see Table 12-1: Degrees of Success).
Table: Degrees of Success
Roll is less than the DC by 15+ Overwhelming Failure
Roll is less than the DC by 7 to 14 Major Failure
Roll is less than the DC by 1 to 6 Failure
Roll is equal to or by up to 9 greater than the DC Success
Roll is greater than the DC by 10 to 19 Major Success
Roll is greater than the DC by 20+ Overwhelming Success
Natural Rolls
A roll of a natural 1 is considered to be a -10 die score for all checks and a natural 20 is considered to be a +30 die score.
Result to Skill Check or Ability Check
Overwhelming Failure: The reverse result occurs. Such as making some one hostile when trying to make them friendly etc. This adds -20 to the equipment failure check, if a natural 1 was rolled.
Major Failure: The result is far worse than just failing, some of the information might be false etc. This result adds -10 to the equipment failure check, if a natural 1 was rolled.
Failure: The check means just failed nothing else bad occurs.
Success: The check succeeds, but no bonus occurs to the result.
Major Success: A better result that allows for more information or such to occur. Adds +10% to the damage, if a natural die for a critical was rolled.
Overwhelming Success: The result is the best you could very get. This is a critical hit, if a natural die for a critical was rolled.
Opposed Checks
Some skills are an opposed check, not a check against a set DC. Thus the opponents have to both have to roll their appropriate skill checks, with the initiator of the check having to equal or beat that of their opponent’s score.
Example:
One PC tries to persuade an NPC that they are allowed into the base. So the NPC rolls an Awareness check, scoring all up 22. The PC must now get a 22 on their persuade skill check, or better, or they have failed.
Combat
In combat if a natural 1 is rolled and the difference between the final number to hit and the AC of the target is below that of the AC, then a critical failure has occurred. The result modifier is applied to the equipment failure table when checked.
Critical Failures
If an attacker has a Major or Overwhelming Failure and an ally is within 2m (Major) 4m (Overwhelming)/ size of the weapon and the “To Hit” number is high enough to hit them. Then the ally has been struck by that attack.
Critical Hits
For a critical hit to occur:
The natural d20 roll must be the same as the critical number required for that weapon,
The result is above the armour’s critical check AC
If the result is a Major Success then weapon does 10% more damage than usual.
If the result is an Overwhelming Success then the weapon has done a critical hit.
Critical Check AC
Normally all armour’s Critical Check AC is exactly the same as the armour’s normal AC. Only when the armour has been “Fortified”, does then this number increase.
The armour’s “To Hit” AC remains the same, but the Critical Check AC is used for assessing if a Major or Overwhelming success has occurred or not.

I am looking to remove the critical hit confirmation roll from my system.

Thoughts?

 

[Turanil]

Excellent. I copypasted it for my own use. Thanks.

 

[Aussiegamer]

glad I could help.

Any thoughts on it?

 

[Turanil]

I am looking to remove the critical hit confirmation roll from my system.

Thoughts?

I suggest:
-- Natural 20: automatic hit, but no confirmation reroll.
-- Natural 20 with effective to-hit success by a margin of 0 to 4 maxi : normal damage.
-- Natural 20 with effective to-hit success by a margin of 5 to 10 : damage with crit multiplier.
-- Natural 20 with effective to-hit success by a margin of 10+ : damage with crit multiplier + secondary effect (stunned for 1d4 rounds or whatever, maybe with random table).

You see the idea.

 

[Aussiegamer]

interesting.

The standard success for all skill checks, and now combat stuff, is 20+ for the best you could ever do. Since the best you could ever do with a weapon is a critical, as I don't want to have to go through and put a table in for secondary affects for all forms of attacks or weapons, then for me I will be leaving the critical at 20+.

The only needing 5+ is very low and means more critical hits, thats OK for a game where you want more criticals, but its not for me.

I don't use nat 20 auto hit or success and nat 1 auto miss or failure, not even in saves. The converting of the die allows for failure and success even when a 1 or 20 has been rolled.


Thanks for the feed back.

 

[Turanil]

Well, it's more the general idea than its actual implementation. I mean: no confirmation reroll for a critical hit. Rather, the margin of success, when scoring a "threat"/critical hit determines if damage is multiplied. With a low margin of success, it's normal damge; with a good margin of success it's multiplied damge; and with outstanding margin of success there is something else added to the damage multiplier (which can be a simple thing or a full table).

 

[Aussiegamer]

yep I understand where you are going.

Just that I don't want to do up more tables for each weapon for that little extra.

 

[Cheezehog]

You could use the crit range to add a bonus modifier. After the attack is successful, add crit range minus 1 (crit range 20=0, 19-20=0, etc) to determine level of success. Thus no need to verify critical hits.

 

[Aussiegamer]

I did not fully understand your comment. I do only have the 1 attack d20 roll.

Critical Hits
For a critical hit to occur:
The natural d20 roll must be the same as the critical number required for that weapon,
The result is above the armour’s critical check AC
If the result is a Major Success then weapon does 10% more damage than usual.
If the result is an Overwhelming Success then the weapon has done a critical hit.

Thus a 19-20 weapon needs a natural 19 or 20 and the final attack score needs to be 20 above the armours critical AC for it to be considered a critical hit.

Since natural 20 is the only one to get a boost to 30, then this ends up meaning the 19 is only for lesser attacks. Such as a 20 might be a 30+10 or 40, but a 19 would be a 19 +10 or 29. Considering AC is about say 16 in nexus for about the same level then only the 20 is a overwhelming (Critical hit) and the 19 a major (10% extra damage).

This does lessen the critical chance happening but does still allow for it....goes away to think about this.

 

[Cheezehog]

here's what i tried to say
drop the critical armor check
1 determine if attack is successful
2 treat the critical range and armor special quallities as modifiers to determine critical sucess

so an attack is successful, exceeds target's defense by 19. A weapon with crit range of 19-20 would gain a +1 mod to boost the result on the crit chart to the 20+ range. Thereby removing critical verification.