Star Wars Saga Edition [SECR] Preview #2 is Up

[jonathan swift]

I for one welcome our new streamlined overlords. This is a d20 game I actually want to play.

 

[Gundark]

I Fraking love what I'm reading. I say more power to them. I'm gonna jump onto the 4th edition bandwagon if WotC continues this trend.

 

[Ranger REG]

Statistically speaking, rerolling is better than most bonuses you'd be willing to grant. Because the reroll's not an and probability. It's an either-or. If the character passes the first one, he won't reroll. But if he doesn't, he can try again.

You've basically improved his chance of success at a given task, without making it possible for him to do things that are more difficult. So basically, the reroll means his skill is more reliable, but not that he's "better."

Take the DC 40 example. A character with a skill bonus of +22 will succeed 15% of the time (a roll of 18, 19, or 20). If he's got a reroll, he'll succeed 28% of the time, or almost twice as often. So that's the rough equivalent of a +3 to his skill check (where he succeeds on a 15-20).

The kicker is that a DC 43-45 checks are still completely beyond him. Whereas if you granted him that +3 bonus to double his chance of hitting DC 40, he'd have a 5-15% chance of success.

That's a BIG difference.

But this assume that the second roll will be better than the first roll, right? We don't know if they'll allow us to pick the higher of two rolls. Most likely, by declaring a "do-over," you have to use the result of your second roll. And what happens if you don't know the DC you're supposed to meet-or-beat? Can the GM trick you by saying, "Do you want to reroll so you can get a bigger result?"

 

[Garnfellow]

Statistically speaking, rerolling is better than most bonuses you'd be willing to grant. Because the reroll's not an and probability. It's an either-or. If the character passes the first one, he won't reroll. But if he doesn't, he can try again.

You've basically improved his chance of success at a given task, without making it possible for him to do things that are more difficult. So basically, the reroll means his skill is more reliable, but not that he's "better."

Outstanding insight. These changes look to be exactly what I've wanted in a d20 skill system.

 

[Alnag]

I apologize, because I feel I should know, but I admit I don't. What does the [SECR] stands for? Saga Edition Core Rules or what???

 

[ValhallaGH]

That's just what I always wanted, a Pablo Picaso who also builds hyperdrive engines.

Does that make ANY sense at all?

In Star Wars, it makes as much sense as having a Pablo Picaso-type character at all.

Remember, this system isn't supposed to be a life simulator. It's supposed to be a movie simulator. When was the last time you saw a movie where an important character took time to paint a picture?
Was painting that character's only skill?
The likely answers are "never" and "heck no".

Of course, a man in a robe with a short stick that can leap tall buildings, alter minds, block bullets, lead combat troops, defeat super-powered ninjas, fight giant insects using a pointy stick and is actually a diplomat and nearly a pacifist doesn't make much sense either. The only reason you don't complain about him is because his name is Ben Kenobi and he was is six films.

 

[D.Shaffer]

That's just what I always wanted, a Pablo Picaso who also builds hyperdrive engines.

Does that make ANY sense at all?

That's assuming there's only Craft now, not Craft (Spaceship) and Craft (Art). We dont actually know the complete, new skill list.

 

[satori01]

I like the new rules. First off anything that encourages players to participate in an scene is a good thing (tm). I think we have all been there, where only a couple of players in a group have Diplomacy, and everyone else feels left in the cold. Or even worse the 'face man' only has the Bluff skill, and thus must needlessly lie to persuade a NPC.

Likewise I agree w/ removing Synergy bonuses and feats that just add to skills. Hidden, easily forgotten rules either are not used, or apply to such a small sampling of skills, that players w/o access to them feel shafted.

Moreover, not having to worry about skill ranks will be a godsend to the mathematically challenged.

 

[delericho]

I do like the changes to the skill system... for Star Wars. For D&D, I prefer the more complex system we currently have, thanks.

However, I hate the change to Initiative. I'm in agreement with whoever it was that said that this would be a 'must-take' skill... it might not be listed as Trained on every character sheet, but I'll bet it's high on the list of most-often taken skills, if not right at the top. And I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Skill Focus(Initiative) getting a lot of use, too.

Finally, I'm of the opinion they should have dropped Trained-only uses for skills. We already have a mechanic that simulates those things that only someone who's specially trained in the skill can do... higher DC.

 

[ValhallaGH]

I am curious how this will impact the speaking of languages.

Do characters get free languages every even level? Do linguistics now require feats? Is it just a plot device that happens as needed by the story? Some other solution?

Yep, it makes me wonder.