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Homebrew Idea: Skill Clocks (+)
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<blockquote data-quote="NotAYakk" data-source="post: 9367064" data-attributes="member: 72555"><p>You have turned a Skill check from a success/failure flip to a success-and-magnitude. I think that is good; it is why D&D combat often works better than D&D skill checks.</p><p></p><p>What you have failed to do is make the magnitude scale very well. I get that you are mimicing weapon damage, but compare how attack damage scales to how your system scales.</p><p></p><p>L1 fighter with 16 strength does 28.5 damage over 3 rounds with +5 accuracy.</p><p>L4 fighter with 18 strength does 42 damage over 3 rounds with +6 accuracy</p><p>L5 fighter with 18 strength does 84 damage over 3 rounds with +7 accuracy</p><p>L8 fighter with 20 strength and a +1 weapon does 100 damage over 3 rounds with +9 accuracy</p><p>L11 fighter with 20 strength and a +1 weapon does 150 damage over 3 rounds with +10 accuracy</p><p>L17 fighter with 20 strength and a +2 weapon does 202.5 damage over 3 rounds with +13 accuracy</p><p>L20 fighter with 25 strength and a +3 weapon does 330 damage over 3 rounds with +16 accuracy</p><p></p><p>Damage (the magnitude of the success) scales with roughly (L+1)*(10 to 15); accuracy scales roughly with 5+level/2.</p><p></p><p>L1 rogue with 16 dex and expertise does 7.5 progress with +7 skill</p><p>L5 rogue with 18 dex and expertise does 8.5 progress with +10 skill</p><p>L11 rogue with 20 dex and expertise and good tools does 10.5 progress with +13 skill and a min roll of 23.</p><p>L20 rogue with 22 dex and expertise and legendary tools does 12.5 progress with +18 skill and a min roll of 28.</p><p></p><p>Progress scales at 7+level/4; accuracy (with expertise) scales with 7+level/2.</p><p></p><p>The second problem that your system lacks is that your problems aren't "hitting back". Not literally, but I mean in the sense that harder problems are just slower and take longer. Problems above a certain magnitude/difficulty should be impossible to solve by simply grinding away at them.</p><p></p><p>What I'd suggest is:</p><p></p><p>1. Make the magnitude portion scale faster. Level 20 PCs should be many many times "faster" than L 1 PCs.</p><p></p><p>2. Tasks should spawn complications. These can be adventure hooks - "if you want to make more progress, you need to do X" for example. They could be costs - "you can get a map to the bedroom of the queen's concubine, but it means you have to burn your fence contact and turn them over to the cops". (solving that problem is optional)</p><p></p><p>Complications are not dependent on <em>failure</em>, but on <em>progress</em> (or sometimes on <em>time</em>) - just like monsters attack back not only when you miss, but just because you engaged them.</p><p></p><p>Complications need not be narratively heavy, at least on average. Ie, imagine a 1 in 6 chance of a complication; now the narrative weight of the complications is 6 times smaller.</p><p></p><p>The existence of complications means that the rate of progress is no longer just a timer - instead, it determines how many complications you run into (on average), and such complications could prevent further progress (especially if you aren't, say, an adventurer!)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="NotAYakk, post: 9367064, member: 72555"] You have turned a Skill check from a success/failure flip to a success-and-magnitude. I think that is good; it is why D&D combat often works better than D&D skill checks. What you have failed to do is make the magnitude scale very well. I get that you are mimicing weapon damage, but compare how attack damage scales to how your system scales. L1 fighter with 16 strength does 28.5 damage over 3 rounds with +5 accuracy. L4 fighter with 18 strength does 42 damage over 3 rounds with +6 accuracy L5 fighter with 18 strength does 84 damage over 3 rounds with +7 accuracy L8 fighter with 20 strength and a +1 weapon does 100 damage over 3 rounds with +9 accuracy L11 fighter with 20 strength and a +1 weapon does 150 damage over 3 rounds with +10 accuracy L17 fighter with 20 strength and a +2 weapon does 202.5 damage over 3 rounds with +13 accuracy L20 fighter with 25 strength and a +3 weapon does 330 damage over 3 rounds with +16 accuracy Damage (the magnitude of the success) scales with roughly (L+1)*(10 to 15); accuracy scales roughly with 5+level/2. L1 rogue with 16 dex and expertise does 7.5 progress with +7 skill L5 rogue with 18 dex and expertise does 8.5 progress with +10 skill L11 rogue with 20 dex and expertise and good tools does 10.5 progress with +13 skill and a min roll of 23. L20 rogue with 22 dex and expertise and legendary tools does 12.5 progress with +18 skill and a min roll of 28. Progress scales at 7+level/4; accuracy (with expertise) scales with 7+level/2. The second problem that your system lacks is that your problems aren't "hitting back". Not literally, but I mean in the sense that harder problems are just slower and take longer. Problems above a certain magnitude/difficulty should be impossible to solve by simply grinding away at them. What I'd suggest is: 1. Make the magnitude portion scale faster. Level 20 PCs should be many many times "faster" than L 1 PCs. 2. Tasks should spawn complications. These can be adventure hooks - "if you want to make more progress, you need to do X" for example. They could be costs - "you can get a map to the bedroom of the queen's concubine, but it means you have to burn your fence contact and turn them over to the cops". (solving that problem is optional) Complications are not dependent on [I]failure[/I], but on [I]progress[/I] (or sometimes on [I]time[/I]) - just like monsters attack back not only when you miss, but just because you engaged them. Complications need not be narratively heavy, at least on average. Ie, imagine a 1 in 6 chance of a complication; now the narrative weight of the complications is 6 times smaller. The existence of complications means that the rate of progress is no longer just a timer - instead, it determines how many complications you run into (on average), and such complications could prevent further progress (especially if you aren't, say, an adventurer!) [/QUOTE]
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