OSR 2d6 Skill Systems (inspired by other 2d6 things)

[Quickleaf]

I'm interested in adapting a 2d6 skill system to my OSR games. Many OSR games eschew skills completely or limit them to specific classes. I'm not interested in rules-ifying "I roll to bribe the guard" or "I roll perception", but there are situations when a skill check would be valuable.

2d6 systems have existed in OSR for a while, not just with PbtA (Powered by the Apocalypse) or WWN (Worlds Without Number), just they were relegated to specific parts of the game: Morale (2d6), Reaction check (2d6), Turn Undead (2d6), even Chainmail had a 2d6 system for spellcasting. While the specifics varied a bit for each of the systems, they all provide for more than just binary pass/fail outcomes. 2d6 has other benefits too: the 2-12 range allows Ability Score Modifiers to be applied without throwing off the odds like they would on a d6, doubles can be interpreted creatively, dice might be added/removed with advantage/disadvantage, etc.

I've read a bit about using the Turn Undead matrix to emulate skill rolls, versus using the Morale/Reaction approach to emulate skill rolls, and I was curious if anyone had tried the Turn Undead approach to skills?

Does the idea of assigning a "challenge level" to a lock being picked, for example "this is a level 4 lock, equivalent to a wight on the Turn Undead table", end up being too vague/onerous/hard-to-adjudicate for the GM?

Morale (2d6)
Normally in B/X: Roll higher than the monster's morale on 2d6, and they retreat or make a fighting withdrawal. But I'm experimenting with...
2 surrender
3-5 flee
6-8 stand off or hold position
9-11 press for advantage
12 attack brazenly

Encounter Reaction (2d6)
2 attack (failure+consequences)
3-5 hostile (failure)
6-8 uncertain (success+complication)
9-11 leaves or considers offer (success)
12 friendship (success+benefits)

Spellcasting, Chainmail (2d6)
≤4 miscast
5-6 spell is lost or negated
7 spell is delayed one round
8+ spell is cast immediately

Turn Undead (2d6)
This graphic is an extrapolation of the B/X Turn Undead tables. You roll 2d6 and if you get equal to or higher than the target number, the undead is turned. For example, a 3rd level cleric needs 9+ to turn a 4 HD wight, but they outright could not turn a 6 HD mummy (-). A "T" result indicates an automatically successful turn attempt, no roll is made; for example a 3rd level cleric automatically successfully turns a 1 HD skeleton. Whereas a "D" result indicates the undead are destroyed (i.e. great success), no roll is made.

 

[The Soloist]

I thought about it then found 2d Delves a skirmish adventure game that uses 2d6 for all checks. If the character has a Boon (advantage) you roll 3d6 and remove the lowest result. If the character has a Bane (disadvantage) you roll 3d6 but remove the highest result. That way you always have 2d6.

Traveller is 2d6 + ability bonus vs target number. I don’t see why it would be vague to adjudicate as long has you are consistent.

 

[Reynard]

You say you don't want to use the system for bribing the guard or rolling perception, but you don't say what you do want to use it for. What sorts of skills, used under what circumstances, are you thinking of?

Broadly, though, using the Turn matrix as the foundation for a general difficulty chart isn't a bad idea.

 

[Quickleaf]

You say you don't want to use the system for bribing the guard or rolling perception, but you don't say what you do want to use it for. What sorts of skills, used under what circumstances, are you thinking of?

Broadly, though, using the Turn matrix as the foundation for a general difficulty chart isn't a bad idea.

Sure. I believe that there are 3 unique situations in OSR play - talking with NPCs, looking around the environment, and "what do I know about X" lore questions - which are best addressed outside of skill resolution systems. That's a longer design discussion with some nuance.

So what are skills for? There's so much besides those things... but generally if there's an active* verb that can be attached to it, then I'm ok treating it as a skill in my OSR hack. For example:

Dancing, Musical instruments, Bookbinding, Masonry, Diving, Jumping, Herbalism, Mountaineering, Beekeeping, Homecraft, Chirurgy, Scribing, etc.

There are corner case things like Law, for instance. The practice of law can very well entail lore stuff & NPC interaction stuff – which I mentioned I don't think work well as skills in OSR style play – but it could also entail navigating court bureaucracies, understanding docket numbers or filing systems, etc. Corner case things would require more design effort.

*"active" may not be exactly the right word, but it was the closest I could come up with succinctly

 

[Quickleaf]

I thought about it then found 2d Delves a skirmish adventure game that uses 2d6 for all checks. If the character has a Boon (advantage) you roll 3d6 and remove the lowest result. If the character has a Bane (disadvantage) you roll 3d6 but remove the highest result. That way you always have 2d6.

Traveller is 2d6 + ability bonus vs target number. I don’t see why it would be vague to adjudicate as long has you are consistent.

Does 2d Delves use a single target number, pass/fail?

 

[The Soloist]

Does 2d Delves use a single target number, pass/fail?

They use a 5 to 12 TN scale. 7 is moderate, 9 is hard, 11 is extreme.

 

[Reynard]

Sure. I believe that there are 3 unique situations in OSR play - talking with NPCs, looking around the environment, and "what do I know about X" lore questions - which are best addressed outside of skill resolution systems. That's a longer design discussion with some nuance.

So what are skills for? There's so much besides those things... but generally if there's an active* verb that can be attached to it, then I'm ok treating it as a skill in my OSR hack. For example:

Dancing, Musical instruments, Bookbinding, Masonry, Diving, Jumping, Herbalism, Mountaineering, Beekeeping, Homecraft, Chirurgy, Scribing, etc.

There are corner case things like Law, for instance. The practice of law can very well entail lore stuff & NPC interaction stuff – which I mentioned I don't think work well as skills in OSR style play – but it could also entail navigating court bureaucracies, understanding docket numbers or filing systems, etc. Corner case things would require more design effort.

*"active" may not be exactly the right word, but it was the closest I could come up with succinctly

Okay. Thanks.

Are you imagining players making use of this system based on the backgrounds they have determined for their characters? Or is there some sort of "secondary skills" roll during character generation? Or something else?

 

[Quickleaf]

Okay. Thanks.

Are you imagining players making use of this system based on the backgrounds they have determined for their characters? Or is there some sort of "secondary skills" roll during character generation? Or something else?

I was imagining a combination of a class giving a certain number of skills (along with bonus skills for INT modifier if any), as well as certain thief-like classes providing unique skills.

I also haven't ruled out the possibility of spending, say, 3 skill choices to instead take a background skill like "I'm a sailor, so I know seamanship, navigation, rope use, and anything else that makes sense."

 

[Reynard]

I was imagining a combination of a class giving a certain number of skills (along with bonus skills for INT modifier if any), as well as certain thief-like classes providing unique skills.

I also haven't ruled out the possibility of spending, say, 3 skill choices to instead take a background skill like "I'm a sailor, so I know seamanship, navigation, rope use, and anything else that makes sense."

I feel like it would be easier and more holistic to let players just pick or describe a pre-adventuring life profession and playing it by ear if a situation comes up that their "skills" apply to.

 

[Quickleaf]

I feel like it would be easier and more holistic to let players just pick or describe a pre-adventuring life profession and playing it by ear if a situation comes up that their "skills" apply to.

Yep, that would be easier for sure. My thinking is that there’s significant difference between how “pre-adventuring professions” apply to adventuring scenes. For ex, Sailor or Urchin is usually going to see more frequent and broader use than Beekeeper or Goldsmith.