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dice_and_more_dice [2013/01/27 08:55] – [Effects of Hits and Dangers] Mike Holmesdice_and_more_dice [2017/05/06 08:47] (current) – [Effects of Hits and Dangers] Mike Holmes
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   * **Obstacle**: something that may stand in the way of the characters achieving their goals. Obstacles must be avoided or eliminated on the way to the character's goals.   * **Obstacle**: something that may stand in the way of the characters achieving their goals. Obstacles must be avoided or eliminated on the way to the character's goals.
 +  * **Obstacle Rating** (OR): a rating that indicates how difficult it is to overcome an obstacle. 
   * **Threat** (D4): a die representing the current situation as actively threatening imminent harm to a character.    * **Threat** (D4): a die representing the current situation as actively threatening imminent harm to a character. 
   * **Danger** (D6): a die representing action that is potentially dangerous, but also potentially beneficial.    * **Danger** (D6): a die representing action that is potentially dangerous, but also potentially beneficial. 
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   * **Bonus Dice** (D8): dice obtained from having a situational advantage over an opponent.    * **Bonus Dice** (D8): dice obtained from having a situational advantage over an opponent. 
   * **Assets**: everything that gives dice other than threats and dangers.    * **Assets**: everything that gives dice other than threats and dangers. 
- 
  
  
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   * Shift and Address Obstacle   * Shift and Address Obstacle
  
-If a character does one of the normal actions while engaged with an obstacle, they take an automatic full hit+If a character does one of the normal actions while engaged with an obstacle adds two threat dice to the pool
  
  
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 ==== Attributes (D10) ==== ==== Attributes (D10) ====
  
-The GM selects two attributes that apply to the situation at hand. The player gets as many D10 attribute dice added to their pool as the sum of the ratings for these two attributes. If the sum is negative, then the player takes a number of D4 danger dice equal to the absolute value of the sum instead.  +The GM selects two attributes that apply to the situation at hand. The player gets as many D10 attribute dice added to their pool as the sum of the ratings for these two attributes. If the sum is negative, then the player takes a number of D4 threat dice equal to the absolute value of the sum instead.  
  
-For instance, if the action is fighting, and the GM declares that the attributes being used are STR and DEX, and the character has a sum of -2, then they take two d4 danger dice, and no attribute dice. Good luck!+For instance, if the action is fighting, and the GM declares that the attributes being used are STR and DEX, and the character has a sum of -2, then they take two d4 threat dice, and no attribute dice. Good luck!
  
  
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 ==== Danger Dice (d6) ==== ==== Danger Dice (d6) ====
  
-A player may elect to roll up to three threat dice. The player must narrate what extra risks their character is taking in order to push their chances of winning, and attempt to narrate proportionally to the number of dice. More dice meaning more threats+A player may elect to roll up to three danger dice. The player must narrate what extra risks their character is taking in order to push their chances of winning, and attempt to narrate proportionally to the number of dice. More dice meaning more danger
  
-=== Charity Die ===+=== Reckless Acts ===
  
-If the player has nothing but threat dice in their pool, or no dice at all, they get one D6 threat die. +If the player has nothing but threat dice in their pool, or no dice at all, this is considered automatically dangerous, and they get one D6 danger die. 
  
  
 ==== Threat Dice (D4) ==== ==== Threat Dice (D4) ====
  
-Any danger dice still active are added to the die pool. Danger dice are D4s, so they obviously cannot produce successes+Any threats that pose an active threat to the character rolling, add threat dice to the die pool equal to their ratingThreat dice are D4s, so they obviously cannot produce hits
  
-===== Hazards ===== 
  
-Creatures and situations often present various hazards to success. A troll might be "Tough," "Large," and "Regenerates." Or maybe there's a fire raging out of control nearby. The GM should look at the module text to discern what hazards a particular creature or situation may present. Another common hazard is multiple opponents. Each additional foe that one is currently dealing with counts as a hazard.  
  
-For each un-adressed hazard that might hamper the character, replace one of the player's dice of the GM's choosing (usually one of the highest sided dice available), with a D4 danger die. +===== Obstacle Ratings (OR=====
  
-==== Avoiding Hazards ==== +Each obstacle is rated by the GM from 1 for a very minor obstacleor binary sort of contest (often perception where you either find something or you don't find something) to 12 for something like the boss of the dungeon
- +
-A player may instead elect to avoid a hazard by citing one of their applicable dice as countering the hazard in question. If the GM agrees, then the player loses only the die used to cancel the hazard, and does not have to roll the danger die they would otherwise have. This cancelation has to be done for every rollas long as the hazard is uncanceled.  +
- +
-A player may opt to attempt to have their character attempt an action, which if successful, will create bonus die meant specifically to avoid the hazard (or hazardsin question. This is often a lot easier than attempting to deal with the opposition directly, if the player is creative in their approach. This die can only be used by the character who obtains it to avoid the hazard, unless they can manage to donate it by using the Helping rule and doing something that would result in the leverage they have acquired becoming applicable to the helped ally.  +
- +
- +
-==== Canceling Hazards ==== +
- +
-A player may instead opt to try to change the situation such that the hazard in question no longer exists. The GM will rate the hazard in terms of hits that it will take to eliminate it. A player must roll that many successes against the Hazard in order to succeed in being rid of it (just as though it were any other sort of opposition)+
  
  
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 Read each die and determine how many successes and dangers result.   Read each die and determine how many successes and dangers result.  
  
-  * 1 = Danger Plus +  * 1 = Trouble Plus 
-  * 2 = Danger+  * 2 = Trouble
   * 3-4 = Neutral   * 3-4 = Neutral
   * 5-7 = Hit   * 5-7 = Hit
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 If the opposition has some sort of strength that works well against the character's action, each Danger Plus counts as two dangers. Otherwise a danger plus result is just a normal danger result.  If the opposition has some sort of strength that works well against the character's action, each Danger Plus counts as two dangers. Otherwise a danger plus result is just a normal danger result. 
  
-==== Effects of Hits and Dangers ====+===== Threats =====
  
-=== Hits ===+Creatures and situations present various threats along the road to success. These are not obstacles themselves that have to be overcome (although they can be, see below), but instead they are qualities of the situation that add to the risks involved in dealing with an extant obstacle. For instance, a troll might be "Tough," "Large," and "Regenerates." Or maybe there's a fire raging out of control nearby. The GM should look at the module text to discern what threats a particular creature or situation may present. Another common threat is multiple opponents. Each additional foe that one is currently dealing with counts as a threat (they do not add to the obstacle rating). 
  
-Check the number of hits done to see if it meets the obstacle rating of the obstacleIf sothe obstacle has been eliminated. Otherwise the player can convert the successes into bonus dice that they can use against the obstacle+Each Threat has a rating assigned to it by the GM, with bigger threats rated higherSo a Bugbear might be "Large 1," a troll "Huge 2," and a giant might be "Gigantic 3.
  
 +For each un-addressed threat that might hamper the character, add a number of D4 threat dice to the pool equal to it's rating. 
  
-=== Dangers === 
  
-The GM spends dangers generated as any combination of the following:+==== Dealing With Threats ====
  
-  * **DANGER 1: Escalate the threat from the obstacle.** Have the obstacle take some action to raise the stakes or make the situation worse in some way. Further rolls against this obstacle have an extra D4 threat die. +A player may instead elect to avoid a threat by citing one of their applicable dice as countering the hazard in questionIf the GM agreesthen the player does not roll the die used to cancel when addressing the current obstacle, and and the threat does not add threat dice eitherThis cancelation has to be done for every roll, as long as the threat is uncanceled
-  * **DANGER 2: Do reduced hit to the character.** This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action. +
-  * **DANGER 3: Introduce a new hazard as a consequence of the action.** This move is good for things like fires that startmagic going haywire, reinforcements arriving, etc. Fallout from the action at hand.  +
-  * **DANGER 4: Do a full hit to the character.** This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action. +
-  * **DANGER 5: Introduce a new obstacle as a consequence of the action.** This should usually be one or two OR lower than the obstacle the character was facing. This move is good for things like wandering monsters arriving on the scenesummoned demons, etc. Fallout from the action at hand. If there are plenty of obstacles in play already, do both a combination of lower moves instead.  +
-  * **DANGER 6: Total disaster!** The threat does the worst possible thing. Be ruthless and destructive in your descriptions. NPCs die. Halls collapse. A hero can mitigate a disaster by taking a full hit, then getting locked in battle with a new, major threat. Spin it off from the obstacle they were facing. It might be something like “trapped in a burning room.” The player gets to say how their hero stops the disaster from coming trueand how they end up trapped by the new threat as a result. That hero can’t do anything but fight the new threat until it is defeated. +
-  * **DANGER 8: Character defeated!** The character takes a full hit, and is temporarily out of the action for some reason. Other characters may attempt to defeat an obstacle to bring the character back into play +
-==== Obstacle Ratings ====+
  
-Each obstacle is rated by the GM from 1 for a very minor obstacleor binary sort of contest (often perception where you either find something or you don't find something) to 12 for something like the boss of the dungeon+For instance, a player might cite that his character has a Major Ability of being a giant himself, and thus use this to cancel out the Gigantic 3 threat from another giant
  
-=== Bonus Dice from Situation === 
  
-For each two matchs spent, the player gets one rollover die to spend on an appropriate future contest. Remove any dice so spent to the rollover pool to account for this expenditure, noting how they were gained. +=== Enabling Threat Avoidance ===
  
- +A player may opt to attempt to have their character attempt an action, which if successful, will create a bonus die meant specifically to avoid the threat in question. This is often a lot easier (has a lower OR) than attempting to cancel threats, if the player is creative in their approach. This die can only be used by the character who obtains it to avoid the threat, unless they can manage to donate it by using the Helping rule and doing something that would result in the leverage they have acquired becoming applicable to the helped ally.
  
-=== Removing Danger ===+Such dice disappear as soon as the situation changes in a way that renders them obsolete. For instance, if a character creates a die to represent being on a ledge to attack a giant with a sword, and thereby avoid the giant's Gigantic 3 threat, this goes away as soon as the giant moves away from the ledge.  
 + 
 + 
 +=== Canceling Threats === 
 + 
 +A player may instead opt to try to change the situation such that the threat in question no longer exists. The GM will rate the threat with an OR as usual, based on how difficult the attempted action seems. A player must overcome that OR in order to succeed in being rid of it.  
 + 
 +For instance, in the case of our giant, a player may decide that their character is attempting to cut off one of the giant's legs so that it can no longer take advantage of it's size to threaten the characters.  
 + 
 + 
 +==== Effects of Hits and Dangers ==== 
 + 
 +=== Hits === 
 + 
 +Check the number of hits done to see if it meets the obstacle rating of the obstacle. If so, the obstacle has been eliminated. Otherwise the player can convert the successes into bonus dice that they can use against the obstacle going forward. 
 + 
 + 
 +=== Trouble === 
 + 
 +The GM spends trouble generated as any combination of the following: 
 + 
 +  * **Trouble 1: Escalate a threat.** Have the obstacle take some action to raise the stakes or make the situation worse in some way. The rating of one threat goes up by one. 
 +  * **Trouble 2: Introduce a new threat as a consequence of the action.** This move is good for things like fires that start, magic going haywire, reinforcements arriving, etc. Fallout from the action at hand. The threat starts with a rating of 1, but the above option can be used to increase this as normal, even from the same roll that created the threat.  
 +  * **Trouble 3: Do a reduced hit to the character.** This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action. 
 +  * **Trouble 4: Introduce a new obstacle as a consequence of the action.** This should usually be one or two OR lower than the obstacle the character was facing. This move is good for things like wandering monsters arriving on the scene, summoned demons, etc. Fallout from the action at hand. If there are plenty of obstacles in play already, do both a combination of lower moves instead.  
 +  * **Trouble 5: Do a full hit to the character.** This can be from an attack the threat makes or from the consequences of one of the dangers the players narrated before the action. 
 +  * **Trouble 6: Total disaster!** The threat does the worst possible thing. Be ruthless and destructive in your descriptions. NPCs die. Halls collapse. A hero can mitigate a disaster by taking a full hit, then getting locked in battle with a new, major threat. Spin it off from the obstacle they were facing. It might be something like “trapped in a burning room.” The player gets to say how their hero stops the disaster from coming true, and how they end up trapped by the new threat as a result. That hero can’t do anything but fight the new threat until it is defeated. 
 +  * **Trouble 8: Character defeated!** The character takes a full hit, and is temporarily out of the action for some reason that makes sense with the action. For instance if being attacked by a monster, the character may well be knocked out and laying there dying. Or for a large monster, perhaps they've been swallowed. Other characters may attempt to defeat an obstacle to bring the character back into play, but if that fails, the character is removed from play (often dead). 
  
-Roll vs a pool that counts as having as many abilities as the number of consequence result numbers that are associated with the particular consequence.  
  
  
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   * Have the escalation of tension from Danger Patrol. No death spirals, instead increasing tension until resolution.    * Have the escalation of tension from Danger Patrol. No death spirals, instead increasing tension until resolution. 
   * Encourage creative solutions by having dangers enumerated that can be avoided or circumvented.    * Encourage creative solutions by having dangers enumerated that can be avoided or circumvented. 
- 
  
  
dice_and_more_dice.1359305711.txt.gz · Last modified: 2013/01/27 08:55 by Mike Holmes