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Message: <blockquote data-quote="3catcircus" data-source="post: 6235707" data-attributes="member: 16077">I'm not sure what other systems use a similar mechanic, but I really like Twilight:2013's dice pool mechanic.1. Your target number is your controlling attribute,with additional skill ranks raising the target number and other modifiers raising/lowering as applicable.  If the modifiers lower the target number to 0, it is an automatic fail and if modifiers raise the target number to 20 it is an automatic success.  Your intent is to roll lower than that target number using d20s.2. The amount of skill ranks determines how many d20 dice you roll - anywhere from 1d20 to 6d20, taking the lowest rolls (i.e. xd20L).  If you are unskilled, you roll 2d20 but have to take the highest of the two rolls (i.e. 2d20H).3.  The amount you roll below the target number is a margin of success.  For example - if you need to get below a 9 and you roll a 7, your margin of success is 2.  Where this is commonly used in that game is to add to the amount of base damage an attack does if it succeeds.4. If your margin of success is 5 or more, it is the equivalent of a critical.  Likewise, failing by 5 or more is the equivalent of a fumble.5. Since you are taking the lowest roll, if more than one of the dice are successful, each additional success beyond the first adds 2 to the margin of success.  Example - if you need to beat a 12, rolling 4d6L and you get a 4, 7, 11, and 18, then your margin of success is (12 - 4) + 2 + 2 = 12.6.  Attribute checks are always a 2d20L.This approach provides something different than the d20 linear curve (I don't know off-hand how non-linear this dice pol mechanic is).I like that this mechanic provides the GM with the ability to model the fact that the more skilled are generally more successful more often, but occasionally also run into a problem, where an activity can be considered routine or easy for the more skilled and more difficult for the less skilled (whereas the d20 system's linear distribution means that everyone is using the same scale so the more skilled will always be successful once they get enough skill ranks, barring rolling a 1.)  An example would be that landing a jet on an aircraft carrier is hard for everyone, but harder for someone who has done less of them.  A day-time, clear weather, calm sea state landing might be considered "normal" for a veteran (no mod) and "complex" (target number lowered by 1) for a newly-minted aviator.  Change that to a night landing in sea state 5 with driving rain might make it a "difficult" task (target number reduced by 3) for the veteran and "daunting" (target number reduced by 4) for the new guy. And the calm, clear, day landing might be considered "impossible" for someone who has never taken flying lessons let alone been awarded their wings and completed carrier quals...</blockquote>

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