Category:Dice System

The Dice System is a simple way to generate random results and mediate contested actions in roleplay for those who enjoy spontaneity and a random factor within their roleplay. The Dice System only uses d100 rolls and is intended to be simple and easy to use without much of a learning curve. There are a few different ways to use the Dice System, but the most common is for randomizing the outcome of combat and in a way also shortening it. There are a few key terms we should go over before getting into the rules themselves. First off we have Difficulty; this is effectively the number you need to roll in order to succeed on whatever action you are taking. In a contested roll one person will roll and set the difficulty, and then anyone contesting that roll will also roll and attempt to beat that number. Some actions have a static difficulty, in cases like this anytime you perform that action you must roll and beat the difficulty to succeed at the action.

Next up we have Modifiers which are effectively a number that is added or subtracted from the outcome of your dice roll. A good example of modifiers are those found in the traits of the different Archetypes. When two rolls are contested, you apply all modifiers before comparing the rolls. The only exception to this rule is when regarding Resistances. This is a special value some characters have that sets a static difficulty a character must beat. In most cases, resistances are only used in combat but there are some places where they may apply out of combat. Resistance is shown a percentage between 1% and 100%, and effectively the total percentage of a characters resistance is the final static difficulty to beat. When rolling against a resistance you compare the outcome of your roll first and only if you beat the difficulty do you then apply any modifiers. Once you have surpassed a resistance you no longer need to worry about it for that action, even if a negative modifier would bring you below the resistance.

These are the primary numbers to look out for when using the Dice System, and with that explained let us continue on to how the actual Dice System works.

The Dice System – Basics
At its purest form the Dice System is remarkably simple, involving only one or two rolls. In the case of a static difficulty, the character performing the action rolls their 1d100 (via /dice 1d100) and then compares the outcome of the roll to the difficulty, applying any modifiers they may have beforehand. In the case of contested rolls however the character initiating the action will roll first, setting the difficulty of the contested roll off. Next the character being targeted by the action will then roll as well. The two (or more) players will them compare their results. Whoever rolls the highest wins the roll off. The best example of this type of action would be combat, and below I will give you an example of how single round of combat would flow using this system.

To begin with there are two terms you will need to become familiar with; Attacker and  Defender. Pretty self-explanatory really, the attacker is the one attacking and the defender is the one defending. So to begin with the attacker in this example declares their attack and target and then rolls a 1d100, scoring a 32. If the attacker has any modifiers he would declare them now but for the sake of this example we will say he doesn’t. The defender then rolls a 1d100 as well and declares any modifiers as well. If the defender has any active resistances they would declare them before rolling their defense. The defender rolls a 12 and also has no modifiers to add to that so the attacker wins the roll and successfully hits the defender. Now the defender becomes the attacker and the process starts over again.

These rules can be used to mediate any contested action if the two participants wish to add a random factor to the mix. A character trying to steal from another, a character trying to convince another, or a character trying to escape from a bad situation. All of these are examples of how or when you could use the Dice System.

The Dice System – Advanced
Now that you understand the basics of the Dice System lets get a little more in depth with it. Here we’ll explain a few advanced rules that go along with the basic rules and make things a little more dynamic. To start off we’ll discuss Criticals. A critical is when a character either succeeds or fails automatically on a dice roll. This occurs when a person rolls either a 100 or a 1 on their roll before modifiers are applied. In combat however criticals are a little more complicated; when an attacker critically succeeds the defender does not get a roll, they are automatically struck, however when an attacker critically fails one of two things can happen. Either the attacker is unable to take any action other than recover from the failure on their next post, or the defender can take this opportunity to counterattack. If the defender counterattacks then the attacker can act normally on their next turn. Counterattacks are essentially an immediate attack a defender can make before it is actually their turn, and in the case of 1v1 fights this effectively gives the defender two full actions on their post.

On the other hand of things when a defender critically succeeds on their roll this also prompts a counterattack if they wish. However when a defender critically fails their roll they become staggered and the attacker can make a second attack against them. A third type of event can take place as well during combat, though is much more rare. In the event that two people roll the same number neither applies modifiers and instead they are locked in a Clash. Think of this as a dramatic moment like you often see when two combatants lock swords and meet face to face in a contest of wills and strength, sparks flying as each tries to overpower the other. Effectively this is a draw and no one wins the roll, it is suggested that both participants make a post to describe the clash before reengaging combat again as per normal. After a clash has ended the attacker has the initiative and can make another attack if they like. In the case of non-combat rolls if two people roll the same number apply modifiers as normal and if they are still the same number reroll.

The Dice System – Combat
The primary function of the Dice System is to determine the outcome of combat while keeping it short and simple. We’ve already discussed the basic principles of the Dice System, but here we will discuss the specifics of combat itself. In a fighter there are three main values to keep in mind at all times, the first is resistance. If you cannot roll above a characters resistance, you cannot cause that character harm. This means a character with a 100% resistance is totally immune to a particular type of damage and you must attempt something else to cause them harm. The second factor to keep in mind is Damage. This is determined by the weapon a character is wielding as well as any racial or magical affects currently on them. By default a character has a damage of 1, but many weapons or spells increase this. The next factor to consider is Health Points or HP. This is how many times you can take a hit before you are removed from the fight. By default all characters begin with 3 HP at the start of a fight, but a character who is already injured begins with however much HP he had at the end of the last fight he was in until fully healed. Likewise, some racial abilities and magic can increase a person’s HP above 3 as well.

When you add all these together you get a character’s statistics. Resistance determines how hard you are to damage, Damage determines how hard you hit, and Hit Points determine how many times you can be hit. If a character deals more than 1 damage you subtract this number for a characters HP which means stronger weapons can defeat enemies much quicker. When a character reaches 0 HP they are not killed, they are merely knocked out. Depending on the context of the fight however they are at the mercy of the person who defeated them and have to deal with any outcome that may come of that.

As an optional rule players may agree on using double or triple hit points. The point of this is to increase the duration of a fight and allow for more epic battles. This mode is for players who still want a fulfilling fight with substance but would still rather let dice determine the outcome at random. This effectively lessens the lethality of a weapon but allows for longer fights if that is what a person wants.

There are also a few conditional modifiers that take place in combat; for example Sneak Attacks. If a character is maintaining the element of surprise and makes an attack against someone, they gain a bonus +20 to their attack roll for determining whether or not they hit. Like all modifiers this does not apply until after checking against resistance. Similarly anytime a character has favorable conditions over another, like a character hiding in total darkness or a practiced merchant attempting to sell someone something, the character gains a +10 to their roll. When a character has unfavorable conditions, like a person trying to hide in a well lit room or someone trying to convince someone they know something they really know nothing about the character suffers a -10 penalty to their roll.

Example
Now that we’ve explained everything let’s go ahead and put this all into play so you can see these rules in context and get a stronger understanding. For the purpose of this example we’ll be using two characters, Jerrik a Warrior and Tanya a Shadow. The setting will be the streets of Archangel late at night in a quiet part of the city. Jerrik is wielding a light weapon and wearing light armor giving him 1 Damage and 25% Physical Resistance, while Tanya is wielding a light weapon and no armor giving her 1 Damage and no resistance. Both have 3 HP.

''Tanya lays low in the dark alley as she observes the mostly empty streets, looking for an easy mark to make a few coins off of. As she silently lurks about in the shadows she spots a lone man walking quietly down the road, noticing the rather large coin purse hanging from his belt, and decides to make her move. Stepping out of the alley she attempts to follow quietly behind him while staying out of sight, hoping to get the drop on him.''

Tanya rolls 68 = 78 on a 1d100 <- Difficulty, Tanya has a +10 modifier for favorable conditions.

Jerrik rolls 17 = 17 on a 1d100 <-Failure, Jerrik has no modifiers to his roll and fails to notice her, now it is his turn to post.

''Jerrik continues casually down the road, heading towards his destination totally unaware that he was being followed. He was doing his best to get out of the area as fast as possible and make his way home after a long day and picks up the pace a bit, moving a little less than casually now.''

This round Jerrik doesn’t take any actions that require a roll to contest, so we simply move on back to Tanya.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Tanya picks up the pace to match his own, trying not to let too large a gap get between them. When they reach a point where she can close the distance and make a grab for his purse she does so, quickly moving up on him and attempting to snatch the coin purse and make a break for it.''

Tanya rolls 42 = 52 on a 1d100 <- Difficulty, because she is currently still hidden from Jerrik it is considered favorable circumstances and so Tanya gets a +10 modifier to her roll.

Jerrik rolls 64 = 64 on a 1d100 <-Success! Jerrik again has no modifiers to add to his roll so he has to rely entirely on luck to get him through this and fortunately for him, it does. Jerrik successfully catches Tanya red handed as she tries to rob from him. Combat now begins as normal.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Jerrik feels a tug at his belt and looks down to see a hand on his purse attempting to quickly undo the knot he has tied in the draw string. Turning back to face the thief he spots the young woman likely looking a bit baffled at being caught and immediately draws his weapon. “You picked the wrong man to rob this night, girl. You’ve found your hands in the pocket of a member of the guard and now you’ll pay!” Jerrik leaps forward and attempts to slash his blade across her midsection with a horizontal swing.''

Jerrik rolls 73 = 83 on a 1d100 <-Difficulty, Jerrik is a Warrior and because of this he gains a +10 bonus to his attack rolls when wielding his favored weapon, which he is.

Tanya rolls 45 = 55 on a 1d100 <-Failure, Tanya is a Shadow and so because she is wearing no armor she gets a +10 bonus on her defense rolls. Regardless of this however she still managed to get hit and has now lost a hit point.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">The first round of actual combat is over and now Tanya becomes the attacker and Jerrik the defender.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Tanya recoils as she is caught and attempts to back away before the man can attack, only to have the blade slice across her flesh and draw her warm blood to run down her stomach. It was merely a flesh wound but it still hurt and ruined her shirt! She quickly draws her own dagger and attempts to make a stab at his throat.''

Tanya rolls 26 = 26 on a 1d100 <-Difficulty, Tanya would normally have a bonus to her attacks as well if she were currently concealed, but at the moment she is fighting out in the open and so she has to rely on luck and skill for this.

Jerrik rolls 22 = 22 on a 1d100 <-Failure, Jerrik’s bonus does not apply to his defense rolls and so he takes a hit. This is only barely a hit however as he is currently wearing armor which gives him a resistance of 25 with the bonus from being a Warrior. She only beat his resistance by 1!

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Jerrik leans slightly to the side to avoid the dagger as it flies at his neck, the blade slice across his flesh but missing the major artery, causing him to bleed considerably none the less. Hoping to end this fast he grips his sword in both hands and brings his sword over his head to bring it around in a swooping attack and slam the blade into her side.''

Jerrik rolls 100 = 110 on a 1d100 <-Critical! Because Jerrik rolled a 100 on the dice this attack is an automatic success and Tanya takes another blow, bringing her down to 1 HP left.

Tanya does not get a roll for defense this round and so she is forced to simply take the hit.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Tanya cries out as the blade slams into her side, causing more bludgeoning damage than anything though it does definitely slice into her flesh and knock her off balance. She winces in pain, feeling herself grow weak and fears the worst. Gripping her side she turns and attempts to flee the fight rather than continue fighting him openly like this.''

Tanya rolls 1 = 1 on a 1d100 <-Critical! Tanya experiences the opposite end of the spectrum on critical rolls and completely fails her escape attempt. At this point she is staggered and Jerrik can make two attacks against her instead of just one.

Jerrik does not need to roll against her escape attempt this round because she critically failed, so we simply move on to the next round.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">Jerrik gives chase after her as she attempts to flee from him, bringing his sword up as she trips herself up for a moment and attempts to bring his sword down in two quick slashes across her back in an “X” pattern, taking advantage of her momentary state of confusion.

Jerrik rolls 32 = 42 on a 1d100 <-Difficulty of first attack.

Jerrik rolls 19 = 29 on a 1d100 <-Difficulty of second attack.

Tanya rolls 21 = 31 on a 1d100 <-Failure, the first attack hits Tanya and brings her down to 0 HP, it is not necessary to roll against the second attack unless Tanya’s player really wants to contest being hit both times. In this case she doesn’t really mind and so she takes the second hit as well.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Tanya collapses to the ground, lying unconscious and bloody after being defeated in combat. For the moment she is left at his mercy to do with as he will. The darkness grips her mind as she desperately attempts to cling to consciousness, her hand stretching outward and trembling before finally falling limp and she passes out.''

<p style="text-indent:.5in">''Jerrik leaves the girl to bleed to death in the streets, she was not his concern and he didn’t want to risk her having any other friends lurking about waiting for him to let down his guard. Someone would clean up the body in the morning if she died during the night. For now he makes a quick retreat from this section of the city.''

<p style="text-indent:.5in">Combat ends with Jerrik leaving Tanya for dead, however she has only been defeated and may recover from her wounds. It is entirely up to the player whether their character lives or dies in a situation like this, though if you really wish to leave it up to chance you can always flip a coin or roll 1d2 to determine the outcome.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">A few things to mention regarding combat however are movement and actions. These are not dice related but instead limitations to keep things fair and simple. Characters by default can move 30 feet per post without the air of some type of supernatural or racial ability. This is to set a standard and make sure there is an equal playing field to start with, and assumes a character is running. Walking distance is half this per post if for some reason a character has to or wants to walk. Likewise, some armor may restrict movement and slow a character down immensely.

<p style="text-indent:.5in">The second thing to touch on are actions. As a rule of thumb a character can only make one action per post. This means any action that requires a roll or activation. For example a character cannot attack with a weapon and cast a spell in the same post, they would need to do one or the other. Some abilities allow a character to make more than one action in a single post and these are the exception to the rule. Likewise if it is agreed upon beforehand players can choose to allow more than 1 action per post, though this can tend to unbalance things and convolute things as it requires more rolls per post.

Conclusion
<p style="text-indent:.5in">So this is the Dice System as it stands now. Currently it is in the Beta Testing process just as the three different types of magic are and will undergo some fine tuning and modifications as needed if any problems arise from it. If you have any more ideas or wish to provide feedback contact me (Grin) in the chat and let me know what you think.