tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post2348240348880934083..comments2024-03-26T02:31:48.024-05:00Comments on Trollsmyth: PC Complexity in 5etrollsmythhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-2412878650628692412021-05-29T13:19:59.906-05:002021-05-29T13:19:59.906-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-61670327586146188222021-05-29T12:44:37.493-05:002021-05-29T12:44:37.493-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-8077887665995352482021-05-28T11:47:11.123-05:002021-05-28T11:47:11.123-05:00Plant: Yeah, advantage/disadvantage is pretty much...<b>Plant:</b> Yeah, advantage/disadvantage is pretty much tied to d20 rolls. Not if we're rolling a d6.<br /><br /><i>Do you also roll 2d6 to adjucate hunting, foraging, listening or surprise? All of these and other skills use x i 6.</i><br /><br />Outside LotFP, I'm not familiar with using a d6 for hunting and foraging. Is that a something I've managed to overlook? I've typically been using a variation on a wandering encounter table.<br /><br />I'll also admit to not being much of a fan of the way thief abilities work in B/X, and I typically toss the class in exchange for <a href="http://trollsmyth.blogspot.com/2008/05/playing-with-dex.html" rel="nofollow">something more Gray Mouser.</a> In my experience, the numbers at even mid-levels encourage players to just avoid touching the dice entirely, making everything but the "hear noises" abilities wasted space. <br /><br />trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-14362428868865200042021-05-28T04:02:50.292-05:002021-05-28T04:02:50.292-05:00Advantage is indeed a very fine method of ruling t...Advantage is indeed a very fine method of ruling tactical superiority or clever ideas. However, advantage is tied to a d20. <br /><br />Do you also roll 2d6 to adjucate hunting, foraging, listening or surprise? All of these and other skills use x i 6.<br /><br />The issue I have with ability checks in OSE is that 1d20 roll below ability score gives 50% success on average but roll 1 in 6 is only 16%. So a non-thief attempting to climb, sneak, disarm traps etc. would succeed 50% on 1d20, which is higher than a starting thief (!) but only 16% on 1d6. It's also confusing to roll low on 1d20 when you're always rolling high 1d20 for attacks and saves. <br /><br /><br />Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-74833964365862585792021-05-28T04:00:09.069-05:002021-05-28T04:00:09.069-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-41126489825122880072021-05-27T12:53:02.066-05:002021-05-27T12:53:02.066-05:00Sticking with the d6 roll certainly fits better wi...Sticking with the d6 roll certainly fits better with B/X's existing mechanics. (I assume that's one of the reasons Raggi went that route in LotFP for skills.) <br /><br />Mostly I use the ability checks when three conditions are true:<br /><br />1 - this is a one-shot sort of situation, or a limited campaign of a handful of sessions.<br />2 - the players are not familiar with B/X and fairly familiar with 5e.<br />3 - there's something fun that can happen on both success and failure.<br /><br />Otherwise, I'll do it when it "feels right" which, honestly, is pretty rare. For the longest time I just stole the checks like bend bars/lift gates and such from 1e when needed. Or do a roll-under the stat. <br /><br />I do like advantage/disadvantage for combat and saving throws, however. It allows me to quickly give the players credit for a clever idea that tilts the odds in their favor (or against them if things have gone sideways) without changing the arithmetic they're already used to doing for their characters. It increases the likelihood of extreme rolls (which can be fun if I'm using some sort of fumble or extreme success house rules). And rolling more dice is fun. And all this at the very minimal cost of taking a bit more time to read two dice instead of just one.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-5787987675178613352021-05-26T16:37:59.170-05:002021-05-26T16:37:59.170-05:00Still, ability checks don't mesh well in bx an...Still, ability checks don't mesh well in bx and I think it's best to ignore them.<br /><br />If I'm wrong, enlighten me :)<br />Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-929872859258339472021-05-26T16:32:40.850-05:002021-05-26T16:32:40.850-05:00BX ability checks don't blend well (d20 roll u...BX ability checks don't blend well (d20 roll under).<br /><br />Instead I use the Open Doors mechanic for ability checks: x in 6 chance depending on ability score. That is more in line with how other checks work.<br /><br />Ability <br />3-8 = 1 in 6<br />9-12 = 2 in 6<br />13-15 = 3 in 6<br />16-17 = 4 in 6<br />18 = 5 in 6<br /><br /><br />To make this work with thief skills, I've reassigned an x in 6 chance for every thief skill instead of %. 6 in 6 fails if you roll double 6 on 2d6. Non-thieves have 1 in 6 chance on any skill. Got that from lamentations ot flame princess. <br /><br />Lvl<br />1 = 2 in 6<br />3 = 3 in 6<br />6 = 4 in 6<br />9 = 5 in 6<br />12 = 6 in 6<br /><br /><br /><br />Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-69426388557176076552021-05-26T13:16:27.606-05:002021-05-26T13:16:27.606-05:00Plant: I use them in combat and saving throws, mos...<b>Plant:</b> I use them in combat and saving throws, mostly. On occasion I'll have the players roll a WotC-era check (d20 + stat bonus to hit a target number), but those are extremely few and far between. trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-71262439625624630842021-05-26T12:54:54.861-05:002021-05-26T12:54:54.861-05:00I agree (dis)advantage and combat actions are 5e&#...I agree (dis)advantage and combat actions are 5e's strengths. But +-5 modifier due to dis/advantage is pretty steep for b/x. And b/x lacks skill and ability checks and conditions where (dis)advantage is most likely to be used. <br /><br />So where would you apply (dis)advantage in b/x ?<br /><br />I only take combat actions from 5e and add some more.<br /><br /><br />Planthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03454114610869853209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-30575183193337147522021-04-18T13:25:46.504-05:002021-04-18T13:25:46.504-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15412911890439251035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-12374568947958815522018-08-15T13:25:04.597-05:002018-08-15T13:25:04.597-05:00Black Vulmea: Totally agree. Have you considered ...<b>Black Vulmea:</b> Totally agree. Have you considered just running B/X with 5e's action economy and advantage/disadvantage? You might need to tweak a few spells, but there are not that many to begin with, so it's not a insurmountable challenge.trollsmythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01895349218958093151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28751902.post-67799080469000022952018-08-13T23:51:49.634-05:002018-08-13T23:51:49.634-05:00I'm running 5e - I threw out most of character...I'm running 5e - I threw out most of character creation beyond attributes, class, and equipment the moment I saw the players' eyes glaze over when I started talking about skills and backgrounds.<br /><br />The best beginner class? A <i>B/X</i> fighter.Black Vulmeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04270071699114783644noreply@blogger.com