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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Herremann the Wise" data-source="post: 5513794" data-attributes="member: 11300">A question then: how would you design "backlash rules" that were more enjoyable for all concerned? What regular and mild backlash effects would you think reasonable (on let's say a 30% - 6 or below on a d20 - chance of miscasting and suffering)?I think your fighter coin-tossing question a good one but there is a very important dynamic there that I think would be interesting to vary and ponder. If it is a coin toss, then the player is still thinking in their mind that they have an average chance of success. In other words, they have a reasonable incentive to give it a go if the chips are down (and thus 50% of the time that they are encouraged by the situation to give it a go, they lose their character).However, what if you reduced the chance of success quite dramatically to let's say 10% (19+ on a d20)? And then you reduced the chance of death down a little but so it was still significant at let's say 25% (5 or below on a d20)***. In between these you might have one of the mild backlash effects such as needing a round to gather back the power to cast or perhaps more severely fatiguing the caster for the encounter. In other words, you are reducing the incentive to cast the spell based upon chance of success. Reducing the incentive means that the overall chance of losing the character is significantly reduced (to perhaps an acceptable level play-wise) but in the mind of the player and his or her caster the danger of the situation is still very much there and this spell will thus be used very much as a last resort. It becomes the classic piece of dark and mysterious arcane knowledge that an upstanding wizard would never trifle with, but the more curious wizard might weaken and study and eventually cast like a moth to a flame. The decision to cast such a spell would be a very interesting piece of role-playing I think within that context.Just a thought.I would very much appreciate your thoughts though on a workable backlash mechanic even if it is to repeat that it could not work effectively. You seem to have a very astute eye for such things.Best RegardsHerremann the Wise*** I think this Double DC mechanic would be an interesting step in a more advanced form of D&D opening up a vast array of interesting options. I've been wanting to start a thread on it but the full concept is still incomplete. I have been working away at it here and there to make a more interesting and complete presentation.</blockquote>

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