Design & Development: Simplifying dice pools

[Hypersmurf]

For example IMG one of the players has a desintegrate happy sorceror. He should roll 28d6 for damage. Usually rolling 98 damage is enough to put the critter down.

Heh. A couple of sessions ago, the TWF rogue got a full attack in on a mook - three hits, one a critical, all sneak attacks.

The total was something like 2d4 + 14d6 + 10, against an opponent with about eight hit points.

Did he roll all the dice? You betcha!

-Hyp.

 

[coyote6]

Can someone give me the method for determining these simplifications? The calculation isn't entirely clear to my eyes...

Basically (and IIRC), you take (roughly) 2/3rds the number of dice, multiply that number by the average result for that die type, and add that to a roll of 1/3rd the dice.

So, for a 15d6 attack, 2/3rds is 10; average for a d6 is 3.5, 10*3.5=35; 1/3rd the dice is 5d6. So you roll 5d6+35 instead of 15d6.

In the article, the author-whose-name-I-forget was also rounding the final number up to the next multiple of 5. So 18d6, instead of becoming 6d6+42 would be 6d6+45.

 

[Crothian]

Basically (and IIRC), you take (roughly) 2/3rds the number of dice, multiply that number by the average result for that die type, and add that to a roll of 1/3rd the dice.

That sure won't help out the math is hard crowd. I'm not even sure that will aid the math is long people

 

[mhacdebhandia]

The idea is that you write the final result down.

I wouldn't mind seeing a parenthetical notation of the "quick way", like they already do with hit points:

• Hit Dice: 23d8+115 (218 hp)
• Chain Lightning: 18d6 (5d6+50)

 

[Mercule]

Blech.

The math is easier and quicker than dealing with another table. Plus, this rounding to multiples of five annoys me -- lots.

Hate the idea, right now, but it might grow on me after it's settled in for a couple of months.

 

[coyote6]

I wouldn't mind seeing a parenthetical notation of the "quick way", like they already do with hit points:

• Hit Dice: 23d8+115 (218 hp)
• Chain Lightning: 18d6 (5d6+50)

Of course, they don't write out the hit points any more. The new stat block just says: "hp: 218 (23 HD)".

 

[I'm A Banana]

I like it as an alternative. Certainly just a style consideration, no need to make it a "base rule," but a VERY good way to dealing with "it'll take me about 5 minutes to count these dice, guys"

 

[Kunimatyu]

I think dice pools should follow the "Final Fantasy summon" principle; the first time, you throw all the dice out there. The second time, you use fewer dice + an average number. Best of both worlds.

 

[Jedi_Solo]

Rolling a lot of dice can be fun.
Watching someone roll a lot of dice can be fun.
Watching my DM roll a lot of dice can be scary (from the first attack).

Rolling a lot of dice again and again can be fun.
Watching someone roll a lot of dice again and agian can get boring.
Watching my DM roll a lot of dice again and again does get boring. (I'm good at math - I've figured out the additional damage by this point).

Now, far be it for me to cut away someone else's fun but my fun own comes from the roleplaying and the tactical aspects of the game; not counting 10s on a bunch of d6s. Anything that speeds up combat is worth a try in my book.