Why PCs should be competent, or "I got a lot of past in my past"

[Corinnguard]

That's why you always have the bard carry the poison.

What if the Bard talks their way out of being eaten?

 

[Maxperson]

What if the Bard talks their way out of being eaten?

Can't happen. Two things stop it. First, you only get a roll when the outcome is in doubt, and hungry monsters are hungry. Second, per the DMG guidance, you should only roll if there is a meaningful consequence for failure and really, who cares if the bard gets eaten.

 

[Thomas Shey]

In my own games (BRP) there are 2 levels of success, special success and critical success, and 2 levels of failure, failure and fumble. In a non-risky situation, a failure and a fumble could be the same result, a simple non-success. Combat has very defined results for all 4 levels.

Technically three in the first: success, special success and critical success (though not all BRP incarnations care about special success).

 

[Thomas Shey]

Competent means more than accomplishing an aim or purpose (the definition of successful), it means having the necessary ability and knowledge to do something. A person can have the necessary ability and knowledge to successfully pull off something in RL or in a RPG, but they aren't going to be successful every time they do the same thing. Sometimes they are going to fall short of success. Then they get to role-play how their characters are going to react when they flub the skill check.

"You just rolled a Critical Humble."

Though I should note that failure with tasks of some difficulty should be rare enough to drop below the resolution system in most games.

 

[Wolfpack48]

Technically three in the first: success, special success and critical success (though not all BRP incarnations care about special success).

Ouch forgot about plain success, but yes 5 levels. Urg.

 

[MarkB]

Though I should note that failure with tasks of some difficulty should be rare enough to drop below the resolution system in most games.

Yeah, I remember a Critical Role episode in which the party goes to an acrobatics show, and Mercer makes three checks for the performers to see how the show goes, the third failing badly enough to result in an injury.

Can you imagine being a professional performer putting on nightly shows, when you have around a 1 in 4 chance each night of being injured sufficiently to be out of commission for weeks? You'd never be able to earn a living.

 

[Thomas Shey]

Yeah, I remember a Critical Role episode in which the party goes to an acrobatics show, and Mercer makes three checks for the performers to see how the show goes, the third failing badly enough to result in an injury.

Can you imagine being a professional performer putting on nightly shows, when you have around a 1 in 4 chance each night of being injured sufficiently to be out of commission for weeks? You'd never be able to earn a living.

Yeah, that should normally be rare enough to be a big story when it happens. You might be able to do it with a die pool system where you were hunting for a bunch of ones (and the die pools ran around 6-8 or more).

 

[aramis erak]

In my own games (BRP) there are 2 levels of success, special success and critical success, and 2 levels of failure, failure and fumble. In a non-risky situation, a failure and a fumble could be the same result, a simple non-success. Combat has very defined results for all 4 levels.

BRP in every Chaosium flavor I've seen save Pendragon has 5 total results
Critical Success
Special Success/Impale
Success
Failure
Critical Failure

It's worth mentioning that, in combat, Impaling is a mixed success - it can often result in being disarmed.

 

[Wolfpack48]

Yep, Thomas Shey also caught it as well, I skipped normal success, so 5 levels. Doh!

 

[Thomas Shey]

BRP in every Chaosium flavor I've seen save Pendragon has 5 total results
Critical Success
Special Success/Impale
Success
Failure
Critical Failure

It's worth mentioning that, in combat, Impaling is a mixed success - it can often result in being disarmed.

Ringworld has specials but not crits if I'm remembering correctly.