New Ability: LUCK!

[G-Man]

Hi all! I firstly need to say that my English is not that well but i hope everyone can understand what i'm trying to tell. Because of this, please forgive me if i use "wrong" words.

So here we go.

I'm playing in a FR Campaign (with 3.5e rules) for 2 months and my DM has his own House Rules. I want to share one of them with you: LUCK as an ability score

"LUCK" is considered as normal ability score but it starts with default 10 instead of 8. So normal characters (even without a class) have no luck modifier. It increases or decreases like other ability scores...

What does it effect?

Luck effects nearly everthing in game. As in, random encounters' power, enemy attack's target, flipping a coin, gambling and even weather conditions.

Let me explain it with some instances,

Group is walking for an hour and normally they roll a d% for a random encounter. But with luck score you need to roll extra d20 with d%. d% determines the manner of random encounter (lower = hates you, higher = loves you) and luck roll determines the power of the encounter.

Luck Check Result
20 CR-7
19 CR-6
18 CR-5
17 CR-4
16 CR-3
15-14 CR-2
13-12 CR-1
11-10 CR
9-8 CR+1
7-6 CR+2
5 CR+3
4 CR+4
3 CR+5
2 CR+6
1 CR+7
( Cr is equal to team's or people in relevance with luck roll's CR at that moment.)

With this table, luck score determines what you encounter. You add what you roll from d20 to your luck bonus (+1 at 12, +2 at 14, +3 at 16 so on) to see result.

Another Ways to Use LUCK

Player1: "Hmmm, its really cool when you find something like that bag on road without an owner"
DM: "Sure it is"
Player2: "So is there anything in that bag? More important, what is inside?"
DM: Roll a Luck P1

Situation 1:

P1: *rolls* *result: 2*
DM: "There is nothing in bag."
P2: "Oh, crap. "

Situation 2:

P1: *rolls* *result: 18*
DM: There are some low-degreed-magical items in bag.
P2: "YAY! At least we found something good."
P1: "How many items are there in the bag?"
DM: "Another luck roll..."


-After few days in a tavern of closest city-
DM: I want you to roll another luck from you P1
P1: *rolls* *result: 3*
DM: Tough looking tall man came to your desk and asked you where did you find that bag.
P2: Ouch.... I Gotta go!

Is That All?

Of course not. With Luck Score, you also earn "Fate Point." Amount of Fate Point is equal to your luck ability modifier. You can "use" those points in everywhere. But if its used, its lost. THERE IS NO WAY TO GET IT BACK.
You also lose 1 point of "LUCK" when you use "Fate Point"

What are Fate Points for?

Fate Points are for chance reality or events in game. You could play with your own fate with them. For example:

-Critical Succes on next saving throw
-Able to use spells for dispel magic area
-Teleport without error
-Make sure that your spell will work correctly (enemy fail on her save)
-or even return from death ---> This one has other conditions also.

For example if you have luck score of 18 you have +4 Fate points and +4 luck modifier. If you use 2 Fate points you'll have 16 Luck score (still +3 bonus for determining luck rolls) but 2 Fate Points left.

********
DM: You see a single, old man walking on road.
P2: I want to kill him.
P1: Why?
P2: I just want.
DM: So what will you do?
P2: Straight charge to him.
DM: Ok, before attack, please roll for "luck"
P2: With pleasure, now i'm attacking.
*Luck result 1* *attack: 15*
DM: You charged into old man who known as ELMINISTER.
********
Of course there are another uses of this score but its generally like this.


Thanks, G-Man.

 

[HoboGod]

I dunno, if this is something that a player must spend points in a point buy game, it might shift the power of someone who increases this ability over others. If more points are given to the default point buy to offset this, it might shift the power of someone who doesn't increase this ability.

Perhaps you should require this be an ability which each player rolls (even in point buy) during character creation after the player has their 6 abilities chosen.

 

[slwoyach]

So you're telling me that a character with an average luck has a 15% chance of finding a magic item in a random bag? No thank you!

 

[radmod]

I have to agree with slwo. of course, the example could have just been a bad example.
Your luck seems too powerful to me and possibly easily abused. I do like the Fate conecpt but as a gaming mechanic might be too much. It also seems like luck would be used way, way too much.

Luck is something that should happen every once in a while. For example, an intelligent monster might decide it's best to attack P1 instead of P2, but against a dumb one luck might decide. Likewise, a DM, IMO, should never randomly determine when someone gets a magic item.Randomly decide to give one, yeah, but not determine.

I think Fate is something that happens in D&D anwyay but doesn't really need to be codified. The player was being an ass, so somerhing big should kill him.

 

[G-Man]

I thought people could get what i meant but it seems i failed lol. Because of my language problem I can explain it restricted.

So you're telling me that a character with an average luck has a 15% chance of finding a magic item in a random bag? No thank you!

Of course not. It was just a random example for using that score. And even with this, it still could be bag of holding of someone's...Or its just a feed for you that came from your enemy's. With that items they can scry you easiliy, etc etc... Or even with "20" you can only find some vegetables in it. It's up to DM and scenario.
Anyway this is not the point.

I mean, this score finishes DM-Player arguements. Because players choose their own fates with this ability. Random wandering monsters will decide to attack unlucky (who rolls the worst dice) player. With this, no one can object the situation. And it stops players crying like "Why all monsters are keep attacking me everytime?"

Another example:
You found an orphan somehow, and sent her to the academy. After years, you wanted to see the child. Now... What did she become?
Kicked at first year? Or become the best student of school? Just let the player roll a LUCK and answer will come to you.

More:
You killed a Big Bad Evil Guy and now its time to loot his treasure. What does he have? 1.000.000 golds? Or just 50.000 gold pieces? Roll another luck to determine! (of course you can state lowest and highest limits) Oh, roll is low? Maybe -1-? Too bad, BBEG just gave his money to his best friend a day ago and only XXXX left to you. Of course things like that, don't happen often but they are funny at least.

[MENTION=90920]HoboGod[/MENTION]:

Players start with Luck score of 10 so this does not give them + or -. And in point puy games -that i prefer- you don't get any bonus points for that score. Its player's choice to become "luckier" instead of "wiser" or "more dexterious"

By the way, all comments are welcomed. Please feel free to ask and comment!


EDIT: It took long time to write this one, so i skipped [MENTION=93008]radmod[/MENTION]'s post. About intelligent monsters, yes you are righ. A lichs or dragons or something like them will always try to do their bests. No luck role is needed.

Luck is only for choices that is up to DM. -Saying again, not for ALL Choices of course-
And i can accept that my examples suck. I should've found better ones to explain.

Before i forgot: I generally play on high fantasy realms and finding magical items (+1 shortswords, +1 daggers or equals.) is not that hard for me. But still accept, i used wrong examples.